30 Day OTP Challenge
by accio-feels
Summary: To commemorate the beginning of the year, the 30 Day OTP Challenge is a Sherlolly story. It all ties in together to make one big story, not individual ones. Will be updated every day.
1. Holding Hands

Even though it had been nearly three months since Sherlock "died", Molly was still trying to piece her life back together. She had seen John struggling to cement himself without Sherlock, Lestrade watching as his job and reputation crumbled under his feet, and Mrs Hudson having a hard time walking into her flat, memories of Sherlock lingering in everything.

She was having another night of staying at home, nursing a cup of tea, and getting lost in thought. It wasn't as if Molly was never lost in thought, though. When she had a spare moment, she worried about Sherlock and what he was doing.

There was a knock on the door. Molly stood in the kitchen with the kettle in her hand. She looked over her shoulder and frowned. She glanced at her watch and made her way over to the door. Molly opened it to see a man with fiery red hair, scars across his face, thick, bulky clothes covering his torso, and green eyes. She looked him up and down and her jaw dropped. She covered her mouth with her hand and stared him in the eyes.

"Sherlock?!" she squeaked.

The man frowned at her and manoeuvred around her into the flat. "Be quiet. This is confidential and the hallway is too open and public."

She closed the door and blushed, embarrassed that she had been so stupid.

"Sorry." She paused and frowned at him. "Why aren't you in Bulgaria? What are you doing here? What's happened?"

After hanging up his coat, he took off his shoes and sat on the lounge chair. "I'm afraid I need you again. Not as serious as last time, but still bad. I already contacted Mike on your behalf and you're off for a month."

Molly frowned. "But, Moriarty's dead, right?" Molly asked, fear coursing through her veins.

"Of course," he replied. "I just need you to help in Europe for a bit. I need to see my parents first, but then we need to head off. We're leaving ASAP."

Nodding, Molly looked down. "Alright. But it's six. Are you staying or are we going now? When are they expecting us?"

"We'll wake up tomorrow and get ready. There are places I can't go to without another person and you're the only one I can bring."

"Oh," Molly said. "Alright." She looked down at the kettle in her hand and back at Sherlock. "Tea?"

Sherlock followed her eyes to the kettle before looking back up at her. "No."

After Molly made her cup of tea and walked back to the lounge room, the awkward silence began.

* * *

Molly woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon. She frowned and stood up. She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. Sherlock stood in the kitchen with a spatula in hand. He looked up at her and smiled. He still had the scars across his face, though some of it had started to peel.

"Breakfast is ready. I'll pack your bag and you get ready to go."

As Molly smiled and made her way to the bathroom, Sherlock's smile dropped and he frowned before dropping the spatula on the counter. Molly revelled in the warm water while Sherlock rummaged through her wardrobe and picked appropriate clothes for the circumstances.

He left clothes out for Molly and waited outside for Mycroft's car to arrive. The sleek black car pulled up and the drive opened the back seat and the boot.

Half an hour later, Sherlock and Molly were flying down the country road, making their way to the Holmes cottage.

* * *

Molly looked at her watch and sighed. It was nine am and she was getting bored. Sherlock sat in silence, watching as the scenery went by.

"Oh," the detective said as he turned to face Molly. "I've got to tell you something. It just crossed my mind." He frowned and looked down. "My mother resents having my friends at her house. She assumes that the males have serious issues and are drug abusers." Sherlock rolled his eyes and put a finger on his lips. "The once or twice I've brought a female friend, my parents, namely mother, tries to set us up. For all intents and purposes, it's best if we pretend to already be a couple."

Molly furrowed her eyebrows. "Seriously? But we'll only be here for a short time, right?"

"A few days, yes. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable by anything my mother says or does to you and it's best for you and me." He paused and looked at her, his eyes wide and a small pout on his lips.

"Uh…" she bit her lip. How could she resist? How could she say no to that face? "O-okay. Fine."

He beamed at her and grabbed her hands. "Molly, you're such a beautiful woman." Sherlock kissed her knuckles and winked at her before dropping her hands and looking out his window.

Of course Molly couldn't help but feel giddy with Sherlock's actions. Her stomach fluttered, her heart was pounding, there was a silly grin on her face, and her cheeks were bright red. She looked out the window, trying to calm her thoughts down.

* * *

It wasn't too long later that the car pulled up outside a gorgeous cottage. Molly was blown away when she saw it. She jumped out of the car and went to get her suitcase. As she approached the boot, Sherlock walked out from the other side of the car and put an arm around her waist.

"I've got this, Molly," he said and kissed her temple.

He grabbed the suitcase and let go of Molly. Sherlock closed the boot and slipped his hand into hers. He looked over at her and smiled while squeezing her hand. They walked hand in hand down the path to the house and stopped at the front door.

Sherlock sighed. "They know we're here. They've been watching since we pulled up." He dropped the bag and knocked on the door. "It's show time," he whispered before lifting their linked hands up and kissing hers.


	2. Gaming

Mycroft Holmes crossed his arms as Molly's giggle broke his monologue. The only way that Sherlock would be able to dismember Moriarty's network would be to pay attention to what his older brother was saying. Instead, Sherlock and Molly were playing Pokémon.

"Can you two put the devices down while we try and save people from those who have been tainted by Moriarty?" Mycroft spat at them.

Sherlock scoffed. "Yes, but my Pidgeotto is in the middle of battle."

"Really, Sherlock," Molly said, "you can afford to not pay attention because rock smashes flying. My Steelix will win against your Pidgeotto every time."

"Psht!" Sherlock said before glancing at Mycroft. "This'll take some time. Do you want to make some tea? I think mum just made cake."

Mycroft leaned back in his chair and his lips turned down. A few moments passed, the only sound being the click of buttons on the devices. As long last, Sherlock closed the device and dropped it on the coffee table. He ran his fingers through his hair as Molly started to laugh and cheer.

"How'd this happen to me?" Sherlock asked, burying his face in his hands.

Molly stood up, her arms up above her head. "It's because you don't know the rules of the game!" she laughed out.

Snatching the devices again, Mycroft glared at the couple. "Doctor Hooper, I really need to talk to Sherlock. I can't afford to have you distracting him."

"Alright, alright, I get you, Mr Holmes," Molly said before smiling down at Sherlock. "I'll see you later."

* * *

It had been a few hours later when Molly found herself without Sherlock. She walked into the kitchen to see Mrs Holmes pulling a cake from the oven.

"Hey, have you seen Sherlock?" Molly asked once Mrs Hudson had put the cake down.

The older woman smiled. "I have indeed. I'll tell you if you tell me a few things first," she replied.

Molly felt her cheeks heat up. "Uh, sure."

Leaning on the counter, Mrs Holmes propped her chin up with her left hand. "How long have you and Sherlock been dating?"

"Um, only a few months," she said, feeling her eyes shift to the floor. She'd have to fill Sherlock in with the lies she's telling his family.

"Hmm…" Mrs Holmes glanced to the left. "I'm going to have a word with that boy." She smiled at Molly and pointed away. "He's in his room."

Molly smiled, despite her bright red cheeks. "Thank you!" She made her way to Sherlock's room and found him lying on his bed with a gaming device in his hands. "Hi."

Trainer Sherlock looked up at Molly and smiled. "I'm playing Pokémon. Given that we'll probably be playing it in our free time, I thought I should learn how to do it properly instead of watching YouTube tutorials of how to play the game."

Her jaw dropped at his words. "You've never played Pokémon until today?!" she gasped.

Sherlock shrugged before sitting up and placing his feet on the ground. "What can I say? Mycroft is an arse."

The pathologist laughed and sat beside him. She placed her cheek against his shoulder and pointed at the Pokémon on screen. "You caught a bad Pokémon."

"How dare you?" Sherlock gasped, putting his hand on his heart. "Magicarp is the Pokémon version of Mycroft. That's why I named it so."

Molly giggled and peered up at Sherlock threw her lashes. "Does he know?"

"Psht! Of course not! He'd tell on me. You do _not _want to see Mummy Holmes in a rage." He looked down at Molly and furrowed his eyebrows. "She pulls a Hulk. It's so scary. That's why you don't want to get on her bad side."

"Speaking of getting on her bad side…" she trailed off.

Sherlock glared down at her. "What have you done?"

"Well," she paused and gave him a small smile. "She confronted me about our relationship, specifically how long we've been dating."

Sighing, Sherlock kissed the top of her head. "How long did you say?"

"Only a few months. I figured it'd make sense because we were really concerned about making sure you didn't die and the aftermath, to tell your family."

He nodded. "Well done. I hope she doesn't see you through the lie."

"Anyway, get Magicarp off your team. The only benefit for anyone involved, is it's an easy kill. Get rid of it," Molly said, pointing at the screen again.

Sherlock looked down at her and back at the screen. "It's my last defence."

"Well, your last defence can't do squat. The sooner you get rid of it, the better. You need your strongest Pokémon on your team. If you go in guns blazing, have your strongest of the strong first and the weakest of the strong last."

"How do you know so much about Pokémon?" Sherlock asked before getting rid of Magicarp.

Molly shrugged and moved off Sherlock. "I have free time."

The detective handed her the device. "I don't know where to go from here. I need to get to the gym… I think."

With a smile, Molly took the device and tucked her feet under her. As she made her way to the next town, she asked, "Did you and Mycroft get to talk?"

"Yes. Even if he is the most boring person in the entire world," he replied with a bit of a scoff.

Molly giggled as she entered the gym. "There you go." She handed it back and looked up at him.


	3. Kissing

Through the week at the Holmes' household, Sherlock had been preparing himself for their next destination and disguise. His hair had been cut off and he had stopped shaving his face. Molly couldn't help but miss his longer hair, but still admired his features.

Mycroft had a car take the duo to the outskirts of Paris, along with a tourist book. Molly and Sherlock duo was to pose as a couple on a holiday. The Holmes' boys were in agreement that a couple doing touristy things was normal. A single man was not. The target was a man who was planning on blowing up famous tourist destinations during peak holiday season.

Having caught wind, Mycroft contacted Sherlock. The planned act of terrorism resembled Moriarty's previous attacks on London. Molly was not briefed on the situation so as to keep the façade up and not arouse suspicion. Molly was more than happy to go to Paris. She was excited for the night lights and the shopping. She worried, as she did every day, about Sherlock and what he was going to do while they were in Paris.

Sherlock, Molly, and Mycroft sat in the car for hours on end. Sherlock had packed Pokémon while the thought had never crossed Molly's mind. Of course, he had played it in the car while Molly played Candy Crush.

Mycroft snickered from the front seat as the duo swore at a loss in the backseat.

"What?" Sherlock spat, his eyes still on his game and his knocked out Turtwig.

The older brother shrugged. "After the excellent show you two put on at the house, one would've thought that you'd have developed some feelings for each other instead of playing different games and not even glancing at the other." Again, he shrugged. "Your current actions are surprising."

Sherlock's lips twisted and he glared at his brother. "Get your fat nose out of my business. You have no right to stick it there, you swine."

He glared back down at the screen and Moly raised her eyebrows but kept her head down. Besides a huff in reply from Mycroft, the rest of the trip was silent.

* * *

Molly sat on the bed at the hotel and glanced around. The detective sat beside her and flipped through the tourist book.

"We'll be visiting everything," Sherlock said as he reached the back cover. "We've only got a few days here before we carry on."

She grinned. "I've never been to Paris before! I'm so glad we won't be spending the time just chasing down a criminal."

Sherlock gave her a small smile, unable to tell her that chasing down a criminal was pretty much the reason to be going to all these places.

* * *

For hours on end, the duo had walked around to different places. Molly had a ball looking at everything Paris had to offer. Sherlock did not enjoy examining every nook and cranny for explosives. Mycroft was under the impression that everything would be ready to go a few days in advance. Sherlock's job was to find and disable it.

Molly was floating on cloud nine while Sherlock held her hand and almost stalked to the Eiffel Tower.

He pressed a small kiss on her cheek and said, "I'm just going to get some food and I'll meet you at the top. I'll race you. You take the stairs and I'll take the elevator."

She nodded, beaming at him. "I'll see you at the top!"

Molly ran up the stairs and marvelled at the sights. She slowed down and took each step with care. The scenery changed with each step and she wanted to remember exactly what it looked like. In hindsight, she wished Sherlock was with her. She didn't really want to walk this alone and it's not a very safe place, either.

Nonetheless, she continued to climb until she reached the top. She was certain Sherlock would be waiting for her when she got there, but he appeared to be missing. Molly looked around, trying to pick his face from the crowd.

She waited a few minutes and made her way to the edge. She figured that the scenery would be a good distraction from Sherlock's whereabouts. Besides, he wouldn't leave her alone in Paris… would he?

Molly glanced around once more and finally saw Sherlock approaching her. She beamed at him and watched as he walked towards her with purpose. He had a small frown on his face and she almost frowned back.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He glanced around as he slipped an arm around her waist. "We came here to dismantle the web, okay? And I've destroyed part of the plan. But he's going to look for me. He's going to get me."

"What do you mean? How did he know it was you? What's going to happen?"

Sherlock sighed. "I mean that he's going to come and find me and kill me. He knows it was me because people are talking about the man on the elevators who fiddled with stuff. Word gets around. People overhear things. What was _going _to happen was he'd bomb the elevators so people couldn't get up or down. He was going to be waiting and shoot up the place. Instead, he's just going to shoot me," he replied, bringing his other arm around her waist.

Molly wrapped her arms around his neck and peered over his shoulder. She saw a man wearing a scowl and a trench coat. He pulled it against his body and glared around at the people in the room.

"I think I see him. He doesn't fit in at all," she told Sherlock before looking up into his eyes. "What do we do?"

She could see him trying to calculate his next move and waited for the right opportunity. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the man beginning to approach them. He was only a meter away when Sherlock leaned down. His lips pressed against hers and pulled her against him. Despite the initial shock, Molly relaxed into the kiss and closed her eyes. She couldn't help but kiss him back, not that he seemed to mind.

The kiss continued, neither wanting to let the other go. Molly pulled back a bit later and stared into his eyes. He took her hand and led her to an exit. As they stood in the elevator on the way down, their fingers entwined, Molly looked up at Sherlock.

"What's going to happen to him?"

He smiled. "Mycroft will get him. I saw him and I'll pass on the information to him. As for us, we're going to go out on a date. I'm thinking dinner and maybe walk around Paris. We'll see."

Molly couldn't help but smile back up at him.

* * *

**A/N:**

_Tomorrow is 'On a Date'._

_Thanks for reading! x_


	4. On a Date

Whenever Molly imagined a date with Sherlock Holmes, she imagined a romantic setting in a beautiful place. She imagined him doting on her and laughing at her jokes, no matter how morbid. And here she was with Sherlock in Paris, the city of love with Sherlock.

He had his arm around her waist as they walked into the restaurant and she couldn't keep the smile off her face. The restaurant itself was exquisite. All the staff wore suits and the customers looked elegant. In the foyer was a podium with a man behind it. A couple in front of them were turned away and Sherlock walked up to the man.

The man said something in French and Sherlock smiled.

"Alfred Bernard," he said.

After some more French exchange, the couple were taken to their table with a few roses in a vase. They were handed two menus and their waiter left the pair alone.

Molly smiled and cocked her head to the left. "Alfred Bernard, hey?"

"What can I say? Mycroft chose the name. I don't get a choice in my aliases." Sherlock shrugged and smiled at her. "Oh well."

Looking around, Molly arched an eyebrow. "Are you- we on a case right now?"

"No. I just wanted to go on a nice dinner with you," Sherlock said. He reached across the table and took her hand.

Molly smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for bringing me here. I really appreciate it."

"No problems, Molly. Now, the menu," Sherlock said before letting go of Molly's hand and opening the menu.

He explained to her each dish and even went as far as to give a review. Molly smile at him and enjoyed listening to him speak. After a few minutes, the waiter returned and took their orders. Sherlock spoke on Molly's behalf and they returned to their conversation.

Molly looked down at her hands and started to play with the tablecloth. "I have a question for you. Just- I dunno, don't… don't judge me too much." She sighed and Sherlock frowned.

"What is it?"

"Well… it's about up at the Eiffel Tower." She paused and glanced around the room, not looking at Sherlock. Again she sighed and looked at him, her cheeks heating up. "Why did you kiss me?"

Silence.

"There were two reasons, really," he told her and lifted a finger. "First of all, there was a criminal coming towards us. Who wants to approach a kissing couple? No-one. People hate PDA's and they hate looking at them. Why would a criminal come up to us and try anything when we're snogging to blatantly in public?" he explained and rolled his eyes. "PDA's," he muttered.

Molly bit her lip. "A-and reason two?"

"Reason two is that I wanted to. Plain and simple." He gave her a half-smirk and winked at her.

Her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red as her face split in two. She grinned down at her hands and did her best to contain her joy.

* * *

Molly and Sherlock walked hand in hand through Paris back to their hotel room. She was absolutely elated to be spending time with Sherlock and to be in a friendly, non-evasive environment.

"I'm really enjoying my time with you here," she told him as they walked through a park.

He stopped and took her other hand. "So have I. I really appreciate you coming with me. There are few people who'd be willing to."

"There is very few things I wouldn't do for you, as I have proved before.

Sherlock smiled before leaning down. His eyes closed as his lips touched hers. Molly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, thrilled at his attention and contact.

She pulled away and smiled at him. "How long are we staying for?"

"A few more days, I think, and then we'll go back to London," he replied.

Molly gave him a chaste kiss and took his hand.

* * *

**A/N:**

_Tomorrow is 'Onesies'._

_This is shorter than I anticipated, but I started to run out of inspiration (and time because it's 11:17 in Australia). Oh well, we'll see how tomorrow goes :)_


	5. Onesies

It was a long and hard Friday in London for Molly Hooper. She was at work and had to deal with several distraught families and a stupid intern. It was times like that where she missed Sherlock. He'd make some comments to the intern and they'd try and pay more attention.

She started to walk home, wanting to just get into her pyjamas, maybe watch _Glee_, have a glass of wine, and then go to sleep. Molly arrived back at her flat to see Toby circling the food bowl, making obnoxious "mrow" noises.

"Evening, Tobes," she said as she closed the door behind her.

Molly shrugged off her coat and put her stuff down before making her way to the kitchen. After the topped up the food, she walked into the lounge room to see her favourite detective lying on the couch. Sherlock yawned and sat up. He looked at Molly and smiled.

"Hullo, Molly. Fancy seeing you here," he said.

She gasped and ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him a little.

Molly bit her lip. "I'm so excited to see you! It's been too long," she told him before kissing his cheek.

"I just got back from Japan. My brother made me promise that I'd see him straight away but I wanted to see you first." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and smiled. "I've missed you."

She felt her cheeks heat up and she placed her forehead on his shoulder. "I've missed you, too."

"Do you have any food?" he asked and Molly laughed.

* * *

Sherlock sat at the table with a bowl of pasta in front of him. As he ate, Molly poured them both a glass of wine. When she put them down on the table, Sherlock smiled at her.

"I got a present for you. It's in your room. Go try it on." He took a sip of wine. "The blue one is mine."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Clothes?"

"You'll like this, though. I promise," he said, nodding, and returned to his food.

Molly got up and walked to her room. On her bed was a plastic bag containing a blue item and something wrapped in purple paper. She opened it up and lifted the content up. Molly laughed as she realised what it was and was quick to put it on. She flipped the hood up before looking at Sherlock's.

She laughed as she walked back out to the table. Sherlock had finished his food and was watching Molly who was in hysterics.

"I'm glad you like it," he said with a sly smile.

Molly didn't like it, she loved it! She couldn't believe that Sherlock had bought her a cat onesie! It was pink, covered her feet, had pockets (!), had a tail, and there was a cat face on the hood. Sherlock's was a blue monkey and she really wanted to see him in it.

She pulled him up and gave him a hug. "I love it! Thank you so much!" She kissed his cheek before pushing him towards her room. "Go put yours on!"

He rolled his eyes and smiled before going into the room and closing the door behind him. Molly took her glass of wine and sat on the couch. She waited a few minutes and Sherlock emerged in his onesie with a defeated look in his eyes.

Molly couldn't keep a straight face when she saw his tail and burst out laughing. "Stunning, Sherlock! Absolutely stunning!"

"Thank you, darling," Sherlock said as he sat down beside her and draped an arm over her shoulder.

She rested her head on his shoulder and tucked her feet under her. She flicked through the TV and left it on a weird new show about a detective in modern day London. Apparently, it had a huge fan base around the world and was famous for long hiatus'.

After a few minutes, Molly looked up at Monkey Sherlock. "I really appreciate you coming here first and bringing me a present.

The detective shrugged. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

* * *

Molly woke up cuddling something very soft. At first, she thought it was Toby, but she realised it was too big to be a cat. She opened an eye and found herself looking at Sherlock. Molly smiled as she realised it was him and pressed her lips gently against his neck.

She eased out of his arms and walked into the kitchen. Of course, she couldn't help but feel like a child. Her feet were covered and she looked adorable.

Half way through making breakfast, Sherlock walked in and wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Good morning, kitten," he said before pressing his lips against hers.

She smiled and kissed him back. "Morning, monkey."

* * *

After breakfast, Sherlock changed out of his onesie and tucked it at the back of Molly's wardrobe. He gave her another hug, final kisses, and promised to visit as soon as he could.

Mycroft organised a car to pick Sherlock up from Molly's flat. She wasn't sure how Mycroft had known that his brother was here, but she was glad that he had a safe way of getting around London.

* * *

**A/N:**

_Tomorrow is 'Hanging Out With Friends'._

_I hope you enjoyed this one. I wasn't quite sure how I'd do this, but I think it's alright. It's shorter than I'd have hoped, but it's alright, nonetheless._

_x_


	6. Hanging Out With Friends

**A/N:**

_Now, if you don't live in Australia, you'll be thinking, 'Gosh darn, good timing!' but f you do, you'll be thinking, 'A-F, you bloody idiot! it's officially the 7th and you've done goofed!' my apologies._

_Anyway, here's 'Hanging out with friends'_

_Tomorrow is 'Shopping!'_

* * *

If Sherlock walked into 221B Baker Street on an average day after his death, there would be several people screaming bloody murder. When Halloween came rolling 'round and Mrs Hudson was desperate to have a party, Sherlock arrived on Molly's doorstep with a sly grin on his face.

She had just woken up, still a bit groggy. It was October the 30th and Sherlock had one day to get ready.

"Sh-Sherlock?" she asked as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

The detective placed a kiss on her cheek and squeezed past her into the flat. "It's Halloween, darling, and Mrs Hudson has sent out invitations to her friends. She's managed to get rather a lot RSVPs. I confirmed you and a plus one." He took off his coat and hung it up before leaning against the wall.

Molly closed the door and looked at him. "How'd you know? I only got the invitation yesterday."

"Mycroft has eyes and ears on select people and I finished my last case earlier than expected to come here. I wanted to see everyone, see how they're doing, and have fun doing it," he explained before taking her hand and walking to the bathroom.

She yawned. "Alright. Do you have a costume?" she asked.

Sherlock smiled at her, his evil smile coming through. "I'm dressing up as myself."

"You what?" she asked, sitting him on the bathtub.

"I'm going to put on a knock off of my normal clothes. We'll do extravagant makeup as to make my cheekbones more prominent and my face a little narrower." He started to go through her makeup and taking out bits and pieces. "I'll wear brown contact lenses and make my hair look bigger, more… poofier, I suppose. Oh, and I'll need a pair of glasses."

Molly rubbed her eyes and nodded. "M'kay. Should I go shopping while you do your makeup?" she asked.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea. Who will you be?" he asked.

"I dunno. I might just put on my onesie."

Sherlock sighed and shook his head. "No. Your plus one can't out do you." He took out a makeup brush and started to apply his foundation. "Please find something good. I don't want to win best costume."

"I don't think Mrs Hudson has awards," Molly said before walking out of the bathroom. She got ready and walked back to the bathroom, watching as Sherlock started on his left cheekbone. "I'll see you soon. Don't roam London without Mycroft or me."

* * *

Molly looked through several charity shops, trying to find the perfect Sherlock imposter gear. She found a purple shirt that mildly resembled _that _shirt, a pair of black worn shoes, and faded black trousers. It wasn't until the fifth shop that she found the right scarf and coat. Molly grabbed a pair of hipster glasses and made her way home again to give Sherlock his cheap knock off costume.

She walked into the bathroom to see Sherlock with ginormous hair. She couldn't help but laugh, especially when she saw his makeup. He put dark makeup under his cheekbones to make them look even more extravagant than they usually do, and he managed to make his face look a little wider. She didn't know _where _he got the contacts, but he had brown eyes now.

"Your costume is great. You don't look like yourself at all." Molly frowned. "Well, I mean, like-"

Sherlock smiled. "I understand, darling."

* * *

On the 31st of October at 8:00pm, there was a knock on 221A Baker Street. Mrs Hudson opened the door and beamed.

"Molly! It's wonderful to see you! You're such a cute cat! I should get a onesie too. And…" She looked over at Sherlock with a hesitant smile. "It's nice to meet you too."

"This is my boyfriend, William," Molly said and Sherlock moved from behind her.

Sherlock smiled at his landlady. "It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs Hudson," he said, putting on a voice. He fished his glasses from his pocket and put it on before extending a hand to her.

"Come on in, dear. Greg, John, and Mary are here. They're excited to see you two." She walked inside and guided them into her kitchen.

Sherlock closed the door behind himself and followed Mrs Hudson and Molly. They walked in and were both handed a drink. The detective took Molly's hand and squeezed it.

"Everyone," she said as they walked in, "this is William."

Greg, Mary, and John looked at the new arrivals and smiled. Their jaws dropped a fraction and John started to clench his left hand. Mary moved closer to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. She rubbed his arm in a soothing manner and smiled at Sherlock.

"I'm Mary. It's nice to meet you," she said.

Greg held out his hand to Sherlock and smiled. "I'm Greg Lestrade."

The party continued in an awkward way. No-one quite knew what to say to William/Sherlock. He did, nonetheless, try and get information out of them about their feelings towards him (as the detective) and how they've been doing.

* * *

Molly and Sherlock returned to her flat in the early hours of November. Sherlock wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"Thank you, Molly."

She couldn't help but laugh. "For what? You did everything."

"Hmm, yes, but I couldn't have gone without you. Thank you so much. I was so glad to see everyone again."

She pressed her lips against his cheek. "You know that I'd do anything for you. But next time, try and choose a costume that won't scare John and Greg."

He shrugged. "You gotta do what you've gotta do."


	7. Shopping

**A/N:**

_Yay! Shopping!_

_I got on a bit of a Christmas theme. Not even sorry._

_Tomorrow: 'Wearing Each Other's Clothes'. _

* * *

When Christmas came around each year, Sherlock was adamant to make sure his friends knew he wouldn't get them a present and did not want one either. He despised the sentiment behind presents and the thought that went into them. Molly knew this oh so well. Despite having been friends for many years, Sherlock always turned down presents from her and made mention of his hatred for giving gifts.

It was a surprise to Molly when they walked hand in hand around a small town in Germany that the detective pulled her into a small cuckoo clock shop. She knew he loved cuckoo birds, but he hated clocks.

"Gavin told me how he loves cuckoo clocks. His ex-wife took his in the divorce. He told me this while drunk, of course, because there's no way George would talk to a stranger about his private life so openly." He shrugged and the duo walked around the shop admiring the clocks.

Sherlock found one that he liked and the couple walked out a few minutes later with the clock.

* * *

Molly frowned at Sherlock as the car approached the destination.

"Are you feeling alright? Are you _sure _you know where you're going?" she asked.

Rolling his eyes, Sherlock glanced over at Molly. "Yes. We're going to Disneyland. How on earth is this a surprise?"

"Because, Sherlock, you're meant to be spending this time dismantling Moriarty's network, not having a party," she explained, crossing her arms.

"Oh, Molly," he said, reminding her of Hans from _Frozen, _"half the time I've taken you somewhere there was no case." He frowned and looked at her again. "And when there is a case, I take you when I'm confident that there's no danger to you and you'll enjoy the place."

Molly smiled. "Really?" Sherlock nodded. "Thanks, Sherlock. I appreciate it. Now, Disneyland?"

"Well, I know that both you and Mary are avid Disney fans and I thought, 'hey, kill 2 birds with one stone'. So, we're here to have fun and also get Mary a Christmas present," he told her.

"Christmas present?" Molly frowned at him and leaned towards her window. "How unlike you."

"Not from me. No, I'm going to get you to give them to them from you. But we'll know," he said before parking the car.

* * *

Molly frowned as they got off the plane in Sydney.

"I don't understand why we're here."

"Well," Sherlock started, "John often brags about his sexual experiences, namely 'Three Continents', so I decided to go to three continents and get him a present that all ties in together. I'm thinking something with his name on it, but also that of the place it's from. Three presents from three continents. He'll like it."

Molly couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, he most definitely will love it! I'm not too sure Mary will, though."

"Without context, it's just souvenirs," he said, walking around the airport to find a souvenir shop.

* * *

When it came to Mrs Hudson, Sherlock couldn't decide what to get her. His first thought was a lifetime supply of his favourite biscuits, but Molly rolled her eyes and shook her head. He suggested a cardboard cut-out of himself to leave in the lounge room until he came back to life. Molly just raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, Molly," he said and sighed. "I don't do presents and here I am, trying to find _some _sentiment in picking a present."

"Come on. You _know _Mrs Hudson! You know what she likes, and you know what you can give her," Molly reasoned.

"She likes… dancing exotically?"

Molly frowned. "Use that head of yours. You're so brilliant, so think."

"Er… tea?" Molly gave him a look he reseved for Anderson. "No, not shop tea." He frowned and looked up. "I mean, tea from… really good tea. Tea you can't just _buy_," he explained.

"I _think _I'm picking up what you're putting down."

* * *

On Christmas day, Molly went to give everyone their presents from Sherlock and her. The first person she saw was Greg. He escorted her into the lounge room and Molly smiled, holding out a large wrapped box to him.

"Merry Christmas, Greg. I hope you like it."

Greg unwrapped and opened the box. His jaw dropped as he realised what it was. "Molly! Wow! How did you know?"

Molly smiled at him and gave a small shrug. "I have my ways."

He put the box aside and pulled her into a hug.

* * *

As far as she was aware, John was still at Baker Street.

"Oh! Molly, hi. I wasn't expecting you today. I thought you were working?" he said before stepping aside and ushering her in.

"Yes, I'm on my way now. I thought I'd just drop off some Christmas presents on my way through," Molly said as she walked in.

They made their way to the kitchen where Mrs Hudson and Mary were having a cup of tea. Mary beamed at Molly and Mrs Hudson looked over at the guest.

"Morning, Molly!" Mary beamed and stood up. She gave her a hug and gasped. "I've got your Christmas present here!"

Molly smiled. "I'm just popping in to give you three your presents." She took them out of the bag and handed them to John, Mary, and Mrs Hudson.

As Sherlock had predicted, Mary was _very _excited to see her present. Mrs Hudson gasped and beamed at Molly.

"Why, Molly! Where on _earth _did you get all this tea?" she asked before jumping up and hugging the young woman.

She smiled and bit her lip. "Mrs Hudson, it feels like I searched the world for the best present and the best tea."

John 'Three Continents' Watson stifled a laugh as he saw his name tag. He unwrapped his present and smiled, shaking his head. "Jesus Christ, Molly! Aren't you a gem?"

After taking her present and saying goodbye to her friends, Molly made her way to work where Sherlock waited in the morgue, siting against the wall and throwing a rubber ball at a cupboard.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

Molly smiled and sat beside him. "They loved it. You should do presents more often."

"Over my dead body," Sherlock scoffed. He frowned and looked at the ground. "Well… you know."


	8. Wearing Each Others Clothes

**A/N:**

_Again, my apologies for the lateness. In my defence, I had a hard day (i got braces and i've been preoccupied with trying to find something to eat that's both filling and easy to eat). Nonetheless, I have made a promise to both you and I to do this thirty day challenge in 30 days. I haven't missed a day yet (even though the other day was one minute to midnight). Thank you also for the reviews! I love them! They encourage me so much!_

_Alright: tomorrow is cuddling! yay!_

_x_

* * *

It was pouring down rain as Molly made her way home. She had tried to run for a bit, but she knew it was a health hazard and Sherlock would not be impressed if she broke her neck running home from work. For most of the trip, she had walked. Molly's coat and jacket were soaked. She shivered and pulled the coat closer, hoping it would warm her up a little bit.

Molly sighed. At this rate, she was going to catch something. Of _course _she left her umbrella home today of all days. As she crossed the road and started walking down the next block, someone started to walk beside her. She glanced over at them and frowned. He was walking next to her- not speeding up and not slowing down. Their feet started to hit the pavement at the same time and Molly looked at the stranger.

"You right there?" she asked.

He took off his coat and handed it to her. "You look freezing. Take my coat," he said, his voice sounding awfully familiar.

"I can't do that. Besides, my flat isn't too far, now," she said, shaking her head.

"Molly, Molly, Molly," he said, shaking his head. "I can't afford for my pathologist and girlfriend to catch a cold, now can I? We both know I'm not good at looking after sick people."

She froze and looked at hm. "Sherlock?!" she stage whispered.

The man smiled, stopping a few paces away from her. "I'll pick it up later. Take it." He held it out and she took it from him. "Thank you."

"How did you find me?" she asked as she took off her own coat and jacket and slipped on the warm, dry one.

Sherlock shrugged. "I have my ways. And I'm always here for you, so…"

She smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Sherlock."

* * *

It had been several days since her last encounter with Sherlock. He was yet to come and collect his coat and she had left it hanging by the door. Molly was about to go shopping and her hand was about to grasp the door handle when someone knocked on the door from the other side.

She opened the door to see Sherlock standing before her with short, straight, blonde hair. Molly smiled at him and stepped aside to allow him entrance. "Morning, Sherlock!"

"Molly, you look fabulous this morning," he said before closing the door behind him. "I need to borrow some things."

"Thank you, darling. What can I do for you today?" she asked and put her purse down.

He smiled at her and sat on her couch. "I need a scarf before I see Mycroft."

"Why?" she asked. "Are you planning on using it to strangle him?"

"Psht, no. I have a few injuries that I need to cover," he said.

Molly sighed and took off her coat. "Damn." She sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You can't lend a scarf anymore. I had a perfect scarf for his murder. Seeing as he seems to have a hate for Pokémon, I have a delightful scarf in my wardrobe."

"I'd get a lecture from Parent Holmes. And the Queen. And the Prime Minister." He kissed the top of her head. "Other than that, perfect idea."

"Come on, I've got some scarves you can choose from," she said before taking him to her many scarves.

* * *

Molly escorted Sherlock to Mycroft's office. The detective had a green scarf wrapped around his neck. Mycroft crossed his arms when he saw the couple.

"Doctor Hooper, brother mine, wonderful to see you," he said before motioning them to enter.

"Molly's going shopping," Sherlock said, "so we've got time to talk about Italy."

The British Government couldn't help but smirk at his younger brother. "What an interesting scarf. The pink brings out your eyes."

"Told you," Molly whispered as she nudged Sherlock.

"Alright," Sherlock said, taking a step towards his brother. "Let's get this over with." He looked over at Molly and smiled. "I'll pop by your place tonight," he said before winking at her.

The door closed behind him and Molly turned around to leave.

"You should invest in more women's scarves," Mycroft said.

Molly imagined Sherlock sighing and rolling his eyes. "Shut up, Mycroft."


	9. Cuddling

In a lavish hotel room in Austria, Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper stared out the big window. The glass was splattered with rain, ruining the view for the couple.

"We're not going to get to go out today, I'm afraid," Sherlock said before wrapping an arm around Molly's waist.

The pathologist sighed. "Well, I guess we'll have to stay in all day."

"I've got chocolate, crisps, and movies, so we can have a lazy day."

Molly grinned at him and kissed his cheek. "Let's make a pillow fort."

* * *

After pushing the couch towards the wall and lining the space with pillows, Molly piled some pillows up the side of the wall. Sherlock threw a sheet over the edge of the couch and tucked them behind the pillows. They placed the duvet on the ground and put a few pillows on it. The pair crawled under the sheet and lay down.

Sherlock looked over at Molly and kissed her cheek. She smiled at him and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist and started to rub her arm.

* * *

Molly often thought about cuddling with Sherlock in Austria. In fact, when she felt more or less alone, typically when Sherlock was hadn't had contact in weeks, Molly liked to reminisce and remember that he liked her and was interested in her.

* * *

**A/N: **

_Yay! Cuddling!_

_Tomorrow: Eating Ice-Cream._

_My apologies for the late update, i was busy today. Apologies also for the short chapter, i started to feel uncomfortable._

_Oh well, she'll be right._

_See ya tomorrow (which in Australia is technically later today)._

_x_


	10. Eating Ice-Cream

**A/N: **

_What can I say? I'm bad at posting things on time. I'm writing day 11 because I don't want to post at 11:59pm again. Should be done in a few hours. My apologies._  
_I was gonna write more for this because I thought, 'I want to get about 30,000 words by the end of this and I'm far behind.' and I've been to Berlin twice now, so I thought I could get a lot of words. But then I thought 'fuck it. I'm posting now.'_  
_Enjoy x_

* * *

The few times that Molly Hooper had been to Germany was during her university days where she and a few friends would go to Munich and get wasted at the end of September. Oktoberfest was possibly the best thing to ever happen to Europe- nay, the world. Well, that's what she thought as a 21 year old. She only knew how to order a beer and some food, but that was enough to get her and her friends by.

She hadn't been back for many years, and knew that If she did go back, she wouldn't go in September and to Munich. Molly was interested in going back. She had seen a documentary recently about Berlin and the attractions there. Of course, she had been _very _interested in going to Berlin and going to the Ritter Sport shop. It looked so delicious!

Molly woke up at the usual time, seven thirty, and, as usual, jumped out of bed when she looked over at her alarm clock. From the bed, it looked as though it was one and ergo, she would have been _very _late for work.

As she was pulling on her shirt and walking out of the bedroom, she realised that it was Friday and she had that day off. She sighed and took her shirt off as she walked back to bed. Her life isn't as easy as that, though. Once she was comfortable and starting to doze off again, the doorbell rang.

She considered leaving the person alone and going back to sleep, but they rang the doorbell yet again. With a sigh, she got up and made her way to the door.

Molly opened it to see a man standing there in jeans and a thick jumper. He smiled at her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Morning, Molly," the man said before planning a kiss on her cheek. He walked in and she closed the door. "Sorry to wake you, but we've only got a short time to get ready."

"I- uh, Sherlock? What are you doing here?"

Sherlock smiled at her before toeing off his shoes. "I've just finished a case and I thought, 'hey, you know who'd like to come here? Molly Hooper.' So here I am," he said.

"But it's, like, seven thirty," she replied, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm well aware," he said. "I've got two plane tickets and we've got to get to the airport in an hour's time. I'd suggest you get changed now."

She frowned at him. "I think I've got work?"

"Nope. No work today or this weekend, which is convenient because I wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend."

Molly sighed and asked, "Where are we off to?"

"Guess," Sherlock beamed.

With a groan, Molly started to rattle off places they hadn't been before.

* * *

While Molly had a shower, Sherlock made breakfast and had his own. She kissed his cheek and sat at the table. He disappeared to her room to back some clothes for her while she ate. He had assured her they'd only be a few days and would only take Carry-on luggage. Fifty five minutes later, the duo was sitting in the airport waiting to board their flight.

* * *

Once they were out of the airport and on their way to the hotel, Sherlock took Molly's hand and laced their fingers together. When they arrived, Molly had just put down her bag when Sherlock pulled her out of the hotel and onto the streets of Berlin.

"Where are we going?" Molly asked tugging on Sherlock's hand as he tried to race through the crowd.

He paused and waited for her to catch her breath again. He wrapped an arm around her waist and slowed down. "Bits and pieces this weekend. Museums, if you're interested, touristy things, shopping, and everything in between."

"Alright," she said, resting her head against his shoulder, "but what first?"

Sherlock nodded. "I think we should get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm craving ice-cream."

"That sounds like a delicious idea," Molly replied, wrapping her arm around his waist.

* * *

Molly and Sherlock sat in a café, looking through the menu.

"I'd recommend the spaghetti, especially if you haven't had it before," Sherlock said as he flipped through the pages.

Frowning, Molly looked up at her boyfriend. "Spaghetti ice-cream?"

* * *

Molly's eyes widened as she ate the ice-cream. "Oh my God, this is the best thing I've ever eaten."

"Mmm, there's nothing quite like good ice-cream. Ten out of ten."


	11. Animal Ears and Pet Names

The sun glared through the windows, resting on Sherlock's face as he slept. He scrunched up his eyes and pulled the hood of his pyjamas over his head.

"Close the curtains," he grumbled.

Molly groaned and rolled on her side, the sun hitting her back. She opened an eye and looked at Sherlock. With his monkey onesie on and his hood over his eyes, he looked like a monkey. The ears stuck up and the embroidered face looked as though it was his own.

She laughed and draped her arm over him. "Oh sweetie," she giggled and rubbed his arm.

"Great," he grumbled before getting up, "now I'm not getting back to sleep." He closed the curtains and got back into bed. Despite closing his eyes, he couldn't get back to sleep. Sherlock blamed Molly for that, as she wouldn't stop laughing. "Oh, give it a rest."

* * *

**A/N:**

_Here we switch to 'Pet Names'. YAY! Of course, I don't speak French so... I dunno if this is legit or not. I've just had to use them French sites. Oh well. No matter. It'll work in the long run anyway :)_

* * *

Molly and Sherlock sat on a train from London to Moscow. They had already gotten through three hours and they still had forty five remaining.

She was sitting on her bed and Sherlock was lying down, his head in her lap. They had a book each that they were reading. Sherlock had already deduced the murderer and Molly was grimacing, feeling second hand embarrassment. She looked up at Sherlock and frowned.

"What about 'sweetie'?" Molly suggested.

The detective scrunched his nose. "Really?"

"For me."

"Sweet as you may be, I don't think I am capable of uttering those words for fear of self-destruction."

* * *

A few hours later. They were playing Mario Kart when Sherlock knocked her off the track.

"How about 'my love'?"

"Excuse you," she said, "it's 2013, not 1613."

* * *

Ten hours into their trip and Sherlock was seeing how long he could lie over the bed and let the blood run to his head for.

"How about 'babe'?" Molly asked.

Sherlock snorted. "What are we- a group of teenaged girls?"

Snickering, Molly cocked her head and smirked. "Fluffy?"

The detective looked up at his girlfriend and frowned. "Excuse me?"

* * *

They ate dinner and Sherlock frowned. "Precious?"

"That certainly has a nice ring to it…" she trailed off and gave him a pointed look.

"Oh," he said and nodded. "Lord of the Rings. Right."

* * *

About twenty hours into the trip, Sherlock had started to doze off, his arms around Molly. They laid in the bed, cuddling as they started to fall asleep.

"Forget English," Sherlock muttered. "Another language, maybe."

Molly yawned and buried her head into his chest. "Mmm."

* * *

Once they had woken up and were having breakfast, Molly stabbed her food with her fork.

"You said 'forget English'," she said.

He nodded. "Indeed. I'm not a fan of the English terms of endearment."

"Well, what about 'Mi Amor'?"

"Hmmm…"

* * *

As the thirty two hour mark hit, Sherlock put down his third book and looked at Molly.

"'Schätzchen'," he said.

She looked up at him and frowned. "What?"

"'Schätzchen'. It means 'little treasure'."

Molly smiled. "It's cute."

He sighed. "Cute? Never mind."

"Well," Molly started, "what about 'mon Chouchou'?"

"I'm content with that."

Molly smiled. "Me too. Especially because we had our first date in Paris."

Smiling back at her, Sherlock cupped her cheek with his and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "Ma chérie," he muttered.


	12. Make Up

It was Friday night and Molly Hooper was getting ready to go out for drinks with some of her girlfriends. She stood in the bathroom, trying to get her eyeliner to cooperate.

Given that the wings wasn't working and she couldn't get it right, Molly felt as though this was an average Friday night in which she had near no hope of getting her eyeliner right. She was going to have to use makeup remover and start over again.

Molly sighed as she tried again to get the lines of the wings but to no avail. In a fit of rage, she threw the brush at the mirror and sank to the ground. It was only a few minutes later that the doorbell rang. Molly stood up and made her way over, her makeup incomplete and incorrect.

She opened the door to see a man dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie. His sneakers were old and tatty and she couldn't help but feel that he was not someone she should associate with.

"Erm, can I help you?" she asked.

The man flipped his hood up and looked her up and down. "Ma chérie, let me help you get ready."

Molly smiled and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the lingering smell of smoke on him. "Mon chouchou."

She took his head and ushered him to the bathroom. He picked up the eyeliner and gave her a pointed look before cleaning up the black smudges on the mirror. Sherlock looked at her eyeliner and looked back in the mirror.

"Watch carefully. I'm only doing this twice," he told her before lifting the brush up and tracing the outline of his upper lid.

Molly snickered. "Twice?"

"Well, Doctor Hooper," he said, drawing a line across his face, "I have enough class to do both my eyes. I can't walk around London with only one eye lined, can I?"

She laughed and watched as he drew a thick line across his eyelid. He drew a line coming from the end of his eye towards his eyebrow and pointed at it.

"That, dear Molly, is going to be the base line of your wing." He drew another line from further up his eye lid to the end of the line of wing. "That is the top of the wing." Sherlock made sure that the lines all met up before pointing at all the blank space. "Now, colour in."

As he coloured them in, Molly rested her head on his shoulder. "You should wear eyeliner more often."

"And you should learn to not rely on me for makeup," he said. Once he finished the eye, he handed the brush to Molly. "Your turn."

Molly gave her best attempt and looked up at Sherlock with a scrunched up nose and disappointment in her eyes. "I think I screwed up."

He had a small smile on his face and rubbed her back. "It's alright. You'll get there."

They did their second eyes and Sherlock deemed them done.

"Thanks Sherlock, you're fabulous," she said and kissed his cheek.

He kissed her nose. "Have fun, ma chérie."


	13. Texting

**A/N:**

_First off: I changed my mind and decided to do texting as a prompt instead because I'm the author and I can do what i want :)_

_Second: my apologies for the late update. I lost a lot of motivation and creativity for the story- mainly because I don't know squat about fashion and I didn't think about that when choosing the list. I'm still trying to catch up because I've been working a lot and I really need money (it's like 18 bucks an hour which is fantastic, considering I worked about 5 hours today!). Also, fanfiction is really second in my life behind work and school because that's what's most important._

_I'll do my best to catch up and finish before the end of the month. I've updated the list a little more and I'm pretty excited about what's to come ;)_

_Anyway, I hope you stick with this story, because I really love getting reviews, favourites and follows. I love you the most, though ;)_

_Stay classy._

_x_

* * *

Molly walked out of Bart's and walked past the place that Sherlock had "died". She fished her phone out of her bag and checked for any messages. She did this every day, hoping for news from Sherlock. One could never be sure of his location, regardless of what he had said previously. Molly knew this from when he was "alive" and operating in London.

Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it.

_**How was work? -X**_

She smiled and started to type, not watching where she was going.

_It was a bit dead, but what can you do? x –M_

_**… -X**_

_Okay, okay, that was terrible. I'll admit that. x –M_

_**Thank you. –x**_

_I miss you. x –M_

_**And I you. –x**_

_When are you coming back? x –M_

_**We'll see. You'll be the first to know, though. –x**_

_I better be. I know where you live and your URL ;) x -M_

_**Watch out. –x**_

Molly looked up to see a pole a few meters away. She stepped aside, averting the devastation and embarrassment that was sure to proceed.

_Thanks. Are you in London? X –M_

_**No. I've got eyes everywhere, though. –x**_

_One of your eyes could have diverted the situation instead of diverting the conversation. Are you still running the Homeless Network? x –M_

_**They've taken to calling themselves the Holmes-less Network, given the current situation. –x**_

_She couldn't help but giggle and look around at the people out and about._

_Love it! x –M_

_**That makes one of us. –x**_

The pathologist crossed the street and looked down at her phone again.

_Come on, it's cute. x –M_

_**Cute? Puh-lease. I've heard cuter things being said at a crime scene. –x**_

_Well, that's probably because John always accompanies you and will remain amazed by you ;) x –M_

_**That's not cute. That's annoying. –x**_

_You enjoy it. If you didn't, you wouldn't have let him assist. x –M_

_**Alright, let's drop this. If Mrs Hudson ever found out about this conversation, you can imagine how that'd work out. –x**_

_I think she'd be more focused on your lack of communication with her. x –M_

_**Turn left. –x**_

Molly looked up and realised she was at the end of the block. She turned and made her way to the next street and crossing before returning to the conversation.

_Are you /sure/ you're not here? Unless the Holmes-Less Network has been tailing me for days, I doubt they'd know that I turn there. x –M_

_**I said that I had eyes, not that I had a homeless person stalking you. Wow. What type of boyfriend do you take me for? –x**_

_A highly functioning sociopathic one? X –M_

_**… -X**_

_Yeah, you're right. You can't really be called a sociopath anymore, can you? x –M_

_**How dare? I express traits of a sociopath, even though I love you. I'm sure there are some select people who scoff nonetheless at hearing the word 'sociopath' and mutter, 'psychopath' under their breath. –x**_

_I think loving someone and caring means that you don't express sociopathic traits. I'm not saying it was John's fault, but I /am/ saying that you started to care about stuff after becoming friends with John. X –M_

_**I'm going to pretend I never got that message. –x**_

_Aaaaaalright, sweetie, whatever you say. x –M_

_**Molly, please. –x**_

_Admit it- you can't be called a sociopath anymore. X –M_

_**I am what I am, Molly. You can't change me. –x**_

_That wasn't me. That was John. You should stop advertising mental illness as well. x –M_

_**If you love me you'll support my sociopathic ways. –x**_

_There's a difference between supporting sociopathy and supporting delusion. You're not a sociopath. x –M_

_**For all intents and purposes, I think you'll find that I am. –x**_

Molly crossed a few more streets and found herself a block away from home.

_How are you watching me anyway? x –M_

_**I have my ways, ma chérie. –x**_

_If you're in London and you don't visit me, I'm going to be disappointed. x –M_

_**Mycroft is with me. He left his laptop when he went to make dinner. I hacked into the security system and followed you with the CCTV. –x**_

_I don't care what anyone says. I think you're a smart, wonderful person. x –M_

There was silence from Sherlock and Molly imagined that he was trying to choose his words. She let herself into her flat and kicked off her shoes.

_Did Mycroft return or are you stumped? x –M_

_**Both, I'm afraid. –x**_

_**In saying that, I best be off. Mycroft will want to rant at me while I try and deduce what poison is in my food. –X**_

_Of course Mycroft would spoil the conversation. x –M_

_**I know. So typical. –x**_

_Oh well. What can you do? x –M_

There was a pause and Molly furrowed her eyebrows before typing frantically.

_DON'T KILL YOUR BROTHER!_

_**Well, not NOW! Besides, Mummy Holmes will Hulk. –x**_

_If your brother never returns, I'm turning you in to your mother. x –M_

_**I'll do my best to not smother him while he sleeps or slip some poison into his many cupcakes. –x**_

_**Just for you. –x**_

_Thank you, love. x –M_

_**I should go now. Mycroft is demanding I leave you be. –x**_

_Wow. Rude. x –M_

_**You're so lucky you're not me. –x**_

_If I were you, I'd be in your flat right now, waiting for you when you come home from work ;) –M_

_**My apologies. –x**_

_Don't go._

_**I have to. We'll talk soon, ma chérie. –x**_

Alright, mon chouchou. Try and talk tonight? X –M

_**Of course. –x**_

_**I love you.**_

Molly smiled at his last text.

_I love you too. X_


	14. Morning Ritual

Molly woke up in her boyfriend's arms. She pressed her lips against his cheek and threw her legs over the edge of her bed. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back onto the bed.

"Don't get up yet," her boyfriend mumbled, wrapping his arms around her torso.

She laughed and rolled on her side, facing Sherlock. "Sorry, cutie, I've got to. I have work in an hour."

He groaned. "No. Call in sick. We can cuddle all day," Sherlock said, burying his face in her hair.

Molly ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. "I can't. I have to go."

"No you don't. I'll pay you double to stay at home."

"Liar. You say that every day and the one time I fell for it, you didn't pay me," she giggled.

"Clearly," he replied, yawning, "you never check your bank. I think you'll find several hundred dollars added to your bank account."

Molly got out of bed. She groaned as she stretched before stumbling to the bathroom despite her boyfriend's groans and pleas for her return. She rubbed her eyes as she walked, almost tripping into a chair. To her luck, she missed it at the last second.

The water was scalding hot against her skin but she reveled in it. She felt more awake and wanted to start getting ready for the day. When she returned to the bedroom, her boyfriend was sprawled across the bed, his mouth ajar and his eyes closed. He emitted small snores as she got changed into her work clothes.

She approached the bed and shook him awake. "Come on, I'll make breakfast."

"Breakfast in bed?" he asked.

"No," she replied and rolled her eyes. "Wake up and get up. Just because you're dead in the eyes of the law, doesn't mean you get to lie around all day."

"Please?"

Molly sighed. "I'm leaving in twenty minutes. Do you want food or not?"

"Mmmm, not today."

"You can't skip breakfast. Get up," she said before turning around and walking into the kitchen.

She heard him groan and thud out of bed. "Then why did you ask?" she'd hear him grumble as he left her bedroom.

Molly was in the lab nearly half an hour after she left home. Her phone dinged as she sat down to start her paperwork. With a sigh, she took it out and peeked at the new text.

**_When are you coming home? I miss you. –x_**

_Go back to sleep. x –M_

**_But Toby wants something. And I want you here. –x_**

_Why are you such a child? I'll be home once my shift is done. Calm down. x –M_

**_Don't tell me to calm down. –x_**

_Funny, John said the same thing to me once when he was drunk and getting worked up about the fact you committed suicide before his eyes. x –M_

**_Don't guilt trip me. Besides, I had to. –x_**

_I have to work. Can you please control yourself? And Toby probably wants food. x –M_

She rolled her eyes and went back to the abandoned paper in front of her. Her phone continued to beep and she had to leave it in her office draw while she dealt with more important things at hand. Sherlock was just like a cat. He turns up out of the blue- hungry, cold, and tired. He'll eat your food, sleep in your bed, and think about himself first. Then, on one of the rare occasions where Sherlock wants attention, he wants full on attention- now. It wasn't even ten yet and already Sherlock was turning into an attention hog.

Molly finished two autopsies and the related paper work before returning to her office. She opened the draw to retrieve her phone finding seventeen texts and three missed phone calls.

On one hand, Molly hated that Sherlock wouldn't leave her be. On the other, she revelled in the special attention.

**_I love you. –x_**

_Thank you. We'll talk when I get home. x –M_

**_Of course. –x_**

Molly couldn't help but smile. She could sure get used to this- even if it was a little clingy.


	15. Spooning

It wasn't every day that Molly burst into her flat after work with tears in her eyes. Sometimes, she felt lonelier than others. Sometimes, she missed having Sherlock storm into the morgue and demand various chemicals and items. It had been several months since she had last seen or heard from Sherlock and she missed him so much.

She glanced at her phone as she walked past the place he died and made her way back to her flat. Her phone remained silent, as did she. When Molly got home, she half expected to see her boyfriend waiting for her. She opened the door and found the flat silent save for Toby who was crunching on his food in the kitchen.

Molly had a shower and changed into her pajamas. She lay on the couch and channel surfed, looking for something to occupy her mind. When she found nothing of interest, she put on a movie and went to forage through the kitchen.

She could hear the first scene starting and she was still peering into the freezer, wondering if she had some ice-cream buried at the back. She reached her arm in and moved peas and ice cube trays around in a vain effort to find something delish to eat.

A few moments past and she sighed, abandoning the attempt. She tried the cupboards lining the kitchen before throwing her arms up in defeat and returning to her movie. Toby jumped onto her lap and fell asleep as she patted him, watching with longing at the relationship between the main characters.

She, unlike them, had to keep her relationship a secret. Molly talked about someone like Sherlock who wasn't nearly as smart or attractive, but he loved her and she him. People would ask how Tom was and Molly blushed, thinking about Sherlock.

The movie ended, leaving Molly in a worse mood than before. She shouldn't have watched a RomCom- it only reiterated her loneliness. Molly sighed and moved Toby from her lap and decided to go to bed. She had an early start tomorrow and there was no point staying up when she didn't need to or want to.

She turned off the lights in her flat and locked all the windows. She made sure the front door was bolted shut and made her way to bed. Molly had overheard the lady upstairs and her flatmate say that some people have had their flats broken into over the last week. She didn't want to take any chances, knowing that her only defence was Toby. Everyone knows that cats are arseholes and won't do anything for anyone else.

Molly closed her bedroom door and crawled under the blankets. She closed her eyes and pulled the duvet under her chin. Even though she tried her best, an hour later, Molly was still tossing and turning.

She rolled on her side, facing away from the door and sighed. It was going to be another restless night and a sleepy morning.

There was a rattle in the kitchen. Molly's heart stopped. Someone was in her flat. They opened cupboards, flung draws open, something dropped, and something shattered, making Molly jump.

She froze, her breath stuck in her lungs. Heavy footsteps pounded across the flat and the doorknob jiggled. Her jaw dropped and her heart squeezed. She knew this was not going to end well.

The door opened and she bit her lip. The person made their way to the edge of her bed and froze. Molly heard them pull off their shoes and the mattress dipped beside her. They wrapped an arm around her waist and she shuddered.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered.

The person let out a small laugh and pressed their forehead against her shoulder.  
"Molly, please," they whispered back.

Her eyes opened wide and she looked over the person. "Sherlock? What on earth are you doing here? Where have you been?" She rolled over and glared at him. "And why on earth did you not knock? There have been break-ins in this building!"

"I'm sorry, but it's not my fault you have a bad security system." He sighed and kissed her shoulder blade. "I'll get that fixed for you."

Sherlock wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see my girlfriend. I've been in Russia for a while. There were a few issues. I didn't knock in fear of raising suspicion for the other tenants. Besides, it's ten thirty. Who visits someone at ten thirty? No-one, that's who. As for the burglary, it's a single one on the bottom floor. They didn't lock their windows and someone happened to walk by and see. Opportunity makes criminals… or some balderdash like that. And anyway, I had to get a plaster and some antiseptic wipes. Small injury, I promise."

"I'll look at it tomorrow."

"Thank you, love."

Molly looked back over at the wall and sighed, getting comfy in Sherlocks arms. "I've missed you."

"And I you. I got here as soon as I could. Mycroft was being a swine again and refused to let me be. I'm sorry," he told her and let a small sigh out.

She put her hand on his and smiled. "I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too," she replied with a yawn.

He kissed the back of her head and closed his eyes. "Go to sleep, Molly."


	16. Three Minutes

It had taken exactly three minutes for Molly to comprehend what had happened. It had taken over twelve days of planning to make sure this wouldn't happen. It took four bullets to ruin the entire plan.

Molly looked over at Sherlock who lay motionless on the ground.

"What have you done?"

Molly opened her flat door her bag slung over her arm and her eyeliner game on point. She took one step outside when she saw an unfamiliar figure leaning against the opposite wall. She took the step back and frowned.

"Are you alright there?" she asked.

He smirked at her and looked her up and down. Molly put her hand on the straps of her bag and looked around. His black hair was slicked back and he wore a suit.

"Molly Hooper," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm here to take you."

She glared at him and took a step back into her flat. "Excuse me?"

"I've been told to take you. There's a car waiting outside for you," he told her.

"Who are you?" Molly asked, glancing around the empty corridor. "Who ordered you?"

"My name is clarified and so it my superiors. All information will be disclosed when you get in the car. I have been told to tell you this, though." He frowned, trying to think of the exact words as though they were foreign to him. "Ma chérie, mon Chouchou."

She paled and looked at her watch. "Is he okay?"

"He's waiting for you in the car."

Molly nodded and walked out of her flat before closing the door behind her.

The duo walked out of the building and approached a parked black car. The windows were tinted, save for the passenger and drivers windows. The back door opened and the man motioned for Molly to enter. As she went to climb in, he entered the passenger door.

Molly ducked her head and slid into the back seat before closing the door behind her. She looked around and came face to face with her beaming boyfriend. She gasped and threw herself into is arms.

"Sherlock," she whispered, pulling him closer to her body. "Thank God it's you. What's going on?"

"You only ever ask questions, do you?" he teased before kissing her cheek. "Mycroft has ordered us in for a plan. Russia has more connections than we thought and we have to go back."

Molly groaned. "Not Russia!" She pouted and felt the car leave the curb.

He shrugged. "We gotta do what we've gotta do."

Molly had two weeks off work. She flew to Moscow independently and had nothing to do with the two guards who kept to themselves and separate. They made their way to a hamlet several hundred kilometers away. She was there for several days with two of Mycroft's men tailing her the entire time. They stayed at a safe distance drawing no attention to themselves or their reasons for being there. They stayed away from Molly and avoided her sight. They couldn't risk her drawing attention to them. Molly made a few friends in the town with the limited Russian she was taught by Mycroft and Sherlock, as well as the scripts they had devised.

After five days of Molly fitting in and getting her bearings, Sherlock and a few extra guards entered the scene, initiating part three of the plan. Sherlock and Molly were to "meet" in a small shop, both surprised that they were two tourists in this cute little hamlet they discovered while traveling through Russia. Molly would express joy to her friends there, and they would tell her that he had only just turned up but was a well educated man who struggled with Russian, conferring with his dictionary a few times every ten seconds. They'd tell her that, while he lacked good communication, he was polite, friendly, and made an effort. They would assure her that the two would meet again, considering the size of the hamlet. The British girl and the quiet American would bump into each other a few times before arranging a date. They'd travel on a train that went through the hamlet and on to a bigger town line near an hour away, the only means of getting between the places. They began going regularly, getting to know the familiar faces to and fro the places.

Pamela Richardson, Molly's allies, was a ditzy girl who had saved up for years for a trip through Europe. She wanted to see every city, town, village, hamlet, you name it, she wanted to be there.

Julian Smith, aka Sherlock Holmes, was a well educated man who had an interest in Russian culture. He wanted to jump head first into Russia and learn everything he could, learning the language as he went. He figured six months would give him a pretty solid understanding of the language and how to communicate- really communicate. There was only so much a text book could teach you, and Julian loved learning in a hands on environment.

They started to trail the locals, seeing who is suspicious and who has genuine work. It was the second last day before Molly had to return to work, and she was getting a little bored. The conversations she had with Sherlock were both mundane and fake.

Two men struck Sherlock as odd. They wore shabby clothes until they got to the town. They walked down an alley and changed into some formal clothes, a formidable look on their faces as they left the alley and made their way down the streets. They glared at bystanders before arriving at a lavish restaurant. They walked around the black and entered an old shed. Molly and Sherlock stood at the entrance of the alley and made small talk as they watched the men disappear.

Sherlock leaned down and whispered into Molly's ear. "We have to follow them."

Looking up at her boyfriend, Molly giggled and bit her lip before taking his hands and pulling him a few paces into the alley. She kissed him, still taking a few steps backwards. He put his hands on her waist and walked backwards with her away from the prying eyes of people on the street and closer to the men hidden away in the shed.

The duo snuck in, Mycroft's guards on their way to their location to scope out the situation. As soon as Sherlock closed the door behind them, a square stood out in the dusty ground. A large square was outlined in light seemingly coming from under the shed.

Sherlock took Molly's hand and ran his fingers over the outline. He looked up at her and smiled before pulling the square up, revealing a flight of stairs. Sherlock squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

"You can leave any time you want to. There will be a car outside and you can turn around and walk out, okay?" he told her.

"Do you want me to leave?" Molly asked, looking down at the stairwell.

The detective followed her gaze and heard some yelling in Russian. Sherlock and Molly made eye contact he frowned.

"Well," he started, glancing back at the entrance to the shed, "I'd rather you didn't, just in case. I don't want you to get hurt."

She smiled at him and nodded before pressing her lips against his cheek. "I'll be right outside."

* * *

Three minutes later, bullets rang out from the shed. Molly and the guards jumped to action and ran down the stairs. Three men lay dead, a bullet hole visible in each of them.

Sherlock lay on the ground, his fingertips steepled under his nose.

"Oh my goodness," Molly said as she entered the room. "What have you done?"

The detective opened an eyelid and frowned at her. "What? I saved our arses and took down a thread in Moriarty's web."

"Alright. Let's get out of here, leave Mycroft to his work," she said before holding out her hand.


	17. Formal Wear

A black car waited outside St. Bart's when Molly finished work one mundane Monday night. She knew whose car it was and why they were here. Molly had seen it several times before and it was always the same outcome.

With a sigh, she walked towards it and opened the back door. She got into the back seat and closed the door behind her. As expected, a woman sat beside her, her eyes glued to her Blackberry.

Molly looked out the window and watched as the car took off from the curb and streamed down the busy London streets. She looked over at the woman and crossed her arms.

"So, where are we off to, A?" Molly asked.

The woman quirked an eyebrow and gave a small smile. "Shopping. You've got an exclusive event on tonight and have to look stunning."

Molly groaned. "Shopping?"

"We have no option, I'm afraid. You'll be meting some very important people and we can't afford for you to be wearing… well…" A smirked and looked up at Molly. "It'll be a very formal event and it's best to have the best."

Rolling her eyes, Molly looked back out the window. "Where is it?"

* * *

Molly stood in a change room, racks of clothes shoved in with her. She tried on a dress, walked out of the small room, and showed it off to A. Molly put on a white, pouffy dress and groaned before stepping outside. Her eyes were on the bottom of the dress, making sure she didn't step on it.

"Too pouffy," A said as soon as Molly stepped out.

She sighed and turned around to try the next one on. After another rack of terrible dresses and A dismissing them straight away, Molly started the third, and worst, rack. She pulled on the first dress and picked up the front of the dress before walking out of the room. Molly sighed as she dropped the material and smoothed down the front of the dress.

"Hmm," a deep voice said, "as gorgeous as you are, I don't think that dress suits you at all."

Molly looked up at the new voice and smiled. "Sherlock. What a pleasant surprise."

"I finished early with Mycroft and told Anthea to head off." He shrugged and walked over to her. "I've got your back, Jack."

She laughed and kissed him before taking a step back. "I'd appreciate some help sifting through the dresses. A wheeled in several racks of clothes and told me to try them all. I don't think we have time for that."

* * *

Molly was brought onto a private jet and had her hair and makeup done. Sherlock sat a few seats away playing on his phone.

Before the plane landed, Molly was told to put on her dress. As soon as Sherlock and Molly took a step onto the ground, a sleek black car pulled up and the back doors were opened for the couple. They got in the car and Sherlock took Molly's hand, entwining their fingers together.

"I've been invited to a dinner party to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary. The couple in question come from Finland and are active members of the community. I've posed as a wealthy, friendly man who recently moved to the area. I've been coming and going frequently for the last few months, attended their church, stuff like that. I got on their good side, did what I had to do, and now it's ending tonight." He frowned and looked at his feet. "She's got secrets. Her looks are deceiving. She's part of Moriarty's network and she's involved in planning the downfall of Europe."

Molly nodded. "Seems like a lovely woman."

"Surprisingly enough, she only speaks Finnish and Russian."

"What?" Molly laughed. "I don't even speak more than one language! How is that not an achievement?"

"Because she's invited many powerful and important people from around Europe to her anniversary. She's just going to smile and nod when someone talks to her."

Molly gasped and put a hand on her chest. "Oh my goodness! She stole my plan!"

Laughing, Sherlock lifted their entwined hands and kissed the back of her hand. "You're such a wonderful person. I'm so glad I've got you."

With a soft giggle, Molly looked over at Sherlock and rested her chin on his shoulder. "You should, you sociopath, you!"

"Thank you for the acknowledgement, I appreciate it."

Molly laughed and kissed Sherlock.

* * *

Molly and Sherlock arrived at the large manor. She couldn't help but be excited at what was going to happen, even if Sherlock was going to take down an old woman. They walked to the front door to see the couple greeting people as they enter.

The detective wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to the door.

Beaming as Sherlock and Molly approached, the old couple greeted them and began to speak to Sherlock in fast Finnish, their eyes glancing over at Molly every few seconds.

Sherlock laughed at something the man said before looking at Molly and tugging her towards the door. She gave the couple a final smile before being escorted into the manor.

They followed the people into the dining room and found their seats. They talked in hushed tones for about ten minutes before the hosts walked into the room and took their seats.

The man smiled at his guests and stood at the head of the table, staring them all down. As silence fell over the large table, the man began to talk. Sherlock held Molly's hand and listened avidly to the man's speech. After several long, tedious, Finnish minutes, the man finally stopped and beamed at the guests before sitting down.

As everyone started to applaud, waiters walked in with entrees. Sherlock looked over at Molly and down at the cutlery.

"Work your way in."

She couldn't help but scoff. "I know how to use knives and forks."


	18. Dancing

After dinner, the guests were invited to the ballroom and stay for as long as they liked. Sherlock took Molly's hand and they danced around with the other guests.

After a few songs, a young man approached them and smiled.

"Do you mind if I cut in?" he asked with a thick German accent.

Sherlock looked at Molly and smiled. "Not at all." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'm going to search the house and will be back soon."

He walked away and the newcomer took Molly's hand. He placed his other hand on her waist before starting to dance with her.

"My name is Lucas. I am the nephew of the German president," he said with a smile.

Molly smiled back and looked him up and down. He wore a nice suit, slicked his blonde hair back, and wore thick glasses.

"I'm Molly. It's nice to meet you."

"It's wonderful to meet you. You are so beautiful. I could not help but approach you when I saw how extravagant you look tonight," he said, looking her up and down.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to get the right words. "T-thank you. I can't begin to tell you how much time and effort was taken today."

"No, you are a natural beauty."

Molly blushed and looked over his shoulder. "I- thank you."

"I have been here many times, Molly," Lucas said, "and I would be happy to give you a tour of the house. There are some lovely rooms upstairs."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm sure my boyfriend is more than capable." She paused for a second, glancing behind his shoulder. "He has been here a few times as well, I believe."

Lucas scoffed. "Him? You deserve better. I believe I saw him walking upstairs following the Russian opposition leaders daughter."

"I have complete and utter faith in him. He loves me and I love him. He wouldn't do anything to betray my trust," she all but spat, glaring at the man.

His hold on Molly tightened and she clenched her jaw. "I think you'll find that your faith in him is too strong and misplaced. I have seen many women and men walking through his front door whenever he's home. Don't trust him."

The song ended and Molly pulled herself away from him. "Thank you for the advice," she said, glancing around for Sherlock, "but he is a loyal man and I only have your word against all the evidence. Forgive me for believing my boyfriend over a stranger."

She walked away, weaving through the crowd of people. Molly got a drink and stood at the edge of the crowd, waiting for Sherlock to come back. She had been approached twice more by Lucas before she told him she was not interested and left to find the bathroom.

After finding the furthest bathroom, she walked in and locked the door behind her. Drink in hand, she sat against the door and waited for a while before going back out. She couldn't believe that Sherlock had left her alone. Lucas was intent on getting in her pants while she had no desire of walking towards him again.

There was a knock on the door and a familiar voice call her name. Molly stood up and unlocked the door before coming face to face with them. He gave her a timid smile and Molly smiled back.

"Don't leave me with him again. Please," she said before slipping her hand into his.

Sherlock frowned and kissed her forehead. "We'll get out of here as soon as possible, I promise."

They walked back towards the ballroom and floated around the people. They walked towards a corner, away from the eyes of Lucas and anyone who would be interested in their conversation.

"What did you find?" she whispered as she played with his tie.

He put his hands on her waist and glanced over her shoulder. "Plans. I've taken photos and notes on what I found. There was a huge room dedicated to her plans, which is incredibly stupid, especially when having a dinner party/ball, another incredibly stupid idea." Sherlock sighed and pecked her lips.

"Mm, no doubt about that." She put her hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Do you think we have enough to get out of here?"

He nodded and leaned down, his lips by her ear. "Yes. Mycroft's men will come in and find it. I've signaled the room out for them. But she's on to me and I think she's making her way over. If she asks, I was feeling sick and went to a bathroom, you came to find me and we stayed for a while."

"She's walking over now?" Molly asked.

"Yes."

Molly placed a hand on his cheek and moved his face. She pressed her lips against his.

There were many a times she thought back to Paris and the events that occurred up on the Eiffel tower. No-one wants to interrupt a PDA. No-one wants t get near that. Even if that deterred the host for a few moments, Molly was sure that would give Sherlock a second to get his head together. Even if it didn't, it gave her a chance to plan what she'd do next and what she'd say to this woman.

The detective pulled away and smiled down at her. "I think we should go home."

"Finally," Molly whispered. "It's so stuck up here. I just want to put on my pajamas and eat some ice-cream."

Sherlock laughed. "We should thank the hostess and head off," he said before wrapping an arm around her and walking towards the woman in the doorway.

He said something to her in Finnish and smiled down at Molly before walking out of the manor. The sleek black car was waiting for them outside.

It was approximately 4:14am when Molly lay her head on Sherlock's shoulder and yawned. They had gone back to the house Sherlock had bought nearby and changed into their pajamas. The tub of ice-cream in her hands was melting and the TV continued playing the next episode of Supernatural.

"We should sleep," Sherlock yawned, resting his head on Molly's.

She made a 'mm' noise before tossing the tub onto the coffee table. "Carry me. I'm too tired to walk."

Sherlock let out a small laugh and nodded before standing up and lifted Molly into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on her arm.

"I love you, mon chouchou."

He kissed the top of her head and walked back to the bedroom. Sherlock lay Molly down in bed and climbed in beside her.

"Goodnight, ma chérie."


	19. Proposal

It was a rare occurrence for Molly to come home and find her bags packed and a man waiting next to the couch. She quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms before kicking the door closed.

"Well, well, well. Look what Toby dragged in," she teased before kicking her shoes off.

Sherlock smirked and walked over to her. "How are you,beautiful?"

"I'm alright," she told him. "A bit tired, though. I had a long day at work. I was hoping to have a shower and read a book, but that's not happening, is it?"

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm afraid we've got a car waiting outside to take us to our hotel 'll get there later tonight and you can do whatever you please."

Molly nodded. "Alright, but I have to come back for work."

"Oh, of course." He leaned down and captured her lips. "Now let's make like a tree and leave."

* * *

Molly visited Paris in her dreams and day dreams. Everywhere she went with Sherlock was amazing- breathtaking. It was the sort of thing she had only seen on TV and craved to see. On one hand, she wasn't surprised that Sherlock had brought her to Paris. On the other, they had been here before and it wouldn't make sense for him to bring her back.

Despite her suspicion, Molly went along with it. They arrived in the outskirts of Paris when the driver pulled over and said they couldn't go further with him.

They took their luggage out and Molly frowned up at Sherlock. "I'm not walking, you know."

Sherlock laughed. "Of course not."

A taxi pulled up beside them and Sherlock opened the door. Molly climbed in first and Sherlock followed suit. He told the driver their location and the cab sped off.

* * *

They walked into the hotel room and Molly threw herself onto the bed.

"Finally! Somewhere comfy to sleep!"

Sherlock laughed and opened the door to the bathroom. "You can have that shower now."

"Thank you," she said before disappearing into the bathroom, leaving Sherlock alone.

After changing into a green dress and putting her hair up in a bun, Sherlock took Molly's had and they walked out onto the streets of Paris. A taxi appeared and Sherlock opened the door for Molly.

The taxi sped to a restaurant a few kilometers away from the hotel. The couple walked in to the restaurant and they were taken to a table. As soon as they sat down, the entrees were brought out.

Sherlock didn't take his eyes off Molly. He had a small smile on his face as he watched her. She knew, of course, that something was happening- something was going on.

"Are you alright?" she asked as the mains were being taken away.

He nodded. "Of course. I haven't seen you in a while, though, and I forgot how beautiful you are."

Molly blushed and smiled at him.

* * *

Sherlock and Molly walked hand in hand through Paris. She had a small smile on her face as they walked around.

"I have to ask you something, Molly. I know we haven't been dating for very long, but we've known each other for many years now. You've always been someone I respect and come to for assistance. Over the last two or so years, I've fallen in love with you. I'd be honored, Molly, if you would agree to marry me."

Molly stopped in her tracks, her hand still in Sherlock's. He took another step before turning to face her and stopping as well.

"Wait, what?"

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. There's no-one I trust more than you. I love you and care very much for you. Will you marry me?" he asked, taking her other hand.

Molly's jaw dropped and she glanced around the desolate street. "Is this serious or for a case?"

He frowned at her and took a step closer to her. "How are you doubting this?" he asked before wrapping an arm around her waist. "This is serious. I want to stay with you for the rest of my life. I want to be with you forever."

"Why didn't you propose at the restaurant?" she asked, frowning back at him.  
Sherlock shrugged. "I wanted to do it in a more private and cliche-less way. I also feel that public proposals are emotional manipulations. I do have something planned, though, if you would like a public proposal as well."

Grinning, Molly said, "I don't care what anyone says, Sherlock. I think you're a beautiful, wonderful man."

"I-uh… thank you…?" Sherlock frowned at her while she giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. He put his hands on her waist and she pressed her lips against his. "Of course I'll marry you. I love you."

"And I you." He kissed her again and took a step back. "The night is still young."

* * *

The duo arrived at the Eiffel tower and Molly quirked an eyebrow. "Propose on the Eiffel tower? Don't you think that's a little cliche?"

Sherlock laughed. "Yes and no. There is a reason. Wait until we get up, okay?"

"Only because I love you."

* * *

Sherlock and Molly walked to a rather specific spot before taking both her hands and stopping.

"Darling Molly, ma chérie. The best thing that ever happened to me was Moriarty." She raised an eyebrow and he held up a hand. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have needed you as much as I did. I needed you when I died and I needed you in the assistance of destroying his legacy." He paused and let go of her hands to take something from his pocket. He got down on one knee and Molly's eyes began to well. He opened the box and took her hand. "I love you. You are the most perfect and wonderful person I have ever met. I want to wake up every morning and see you before wondering how I ever became so lucky. Molly, my love, will you marry me?"

Tears began to stream down her face as she nodded, a huge smile on her face. "Of course," she said before he took her hand and slid the ring on.

He stood up and kissed her before pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you."

A few bystanders began to to clap as Molly and Sherlock separated. She looked down at the ring. It was simple, but beautiful. It was the perfect ring and she couldn't have found anything better in the entire world.

* * *

They got back to the hotel and Molly opened a bottle of champagne and they toasted to their engagement.

"You were very specific with the placement of the engagement at the tower…" Molly quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

"You didn't realise?" Sherlock asked. "That's where we kissed before we went to the date. And, I'll have you know, the table we sat at was where we sat for our first date with the same menu."

Molly smiled. "And it's the anniversary of our first date too, am I right?" she asked, her smile growing.

"Two years, ma chérie," Sherlock said with a wink.


	20. On a Birthday

**A/N: **_Hey,_

_I know, I got really slack and let it go. But, I've been working on it. I've only written one or two more. I'm going to post what I have tomorrow (hopefully the rest) but I don't think part 30 will be ready tomorrow. I need to do some research and actually figure out how I can write this (spoiler: it's 'getting married'). I'm currently finishing day 22 before finishing 25 and 27. I haven't done 23 or 24 yet. I do, however, have a big plan for the rest of it and I know what's going to happen and bits and pieces._

_I want to say one final thing before you read this. Day 25 is going to be intense and a huge plot twist. Enjoy the next few chapters before then._

_Anyway, enjoy!_

_x_

* * *

Molly and Sherlock always hung out on their birthdays. They disguised him and had lunch, went to a park, saw a movie, something. As long as they were together.

There was one day of the year that Sherlock had the misfortune of being unable to celebrate. On John's birthday, he'd walk around London, trying to get a glimpse at his friend. Last year, John had sat at home alone. He didn't have anything to do or anyone to see. At least, that's what Sherlock had told Molly.

She was sure that Sherlock stalked John. Of course he kept tabs on his blogger and made sure he was around good people. Molly knew what the Holmes' were like.

Taking refuge in her house, Sherlock had woken early and was getting ready for heading out. Molly wasn't sure what his plans were, but she had some better ones.

She walked out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. "Going somewhere?"

"I'm going out for a few hours," Sherlock told her, gelling back his blonde hair in the mirror above the mantel. "I have plans."

"Cool story, sweetie. Needs more dragons," she said before walking over and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He continued smoothing his hair and rolled his eyes. "You seem to have a better plan."

"Indeed I do," Molly said before kissing his cheek. "We're going out. Do your makeup. You're my fiancé William and we have a date."

Sherlock grumbled before retreating to the bathroom. "You're lucky I love you."

"Back at ya!"

* * *

Sherlock and Molly made their way to John's current home a.k.a. Mary Morstan's flat. The detective frowned at his fiancee as they walked in. Mary walked over to them and beamed.

"Molly, William! I'm so glad you two could make it!" she exclaimed as she pulled them in for hugs.

"Thank you for inviting us! We were thrilled to get the invitation," Molly said, smiling at Sherlock. "Does he suspect?"

Mary scoffed. "Of course not! I'm amazing and I can plan and organise secretly. He has no clue."

The women laughed. "I'm not surprised. You should've seen it when he and Sherlock turned up to the morgue. He always seemed one step behind."

"He seemed like a smart guy. I mean, I only met him once, but he seemed smart," Sherlock said.

"Well, he is a doctor," Mary said before looking at Molly. "He is smart, but he can be outsmarted."

There was a silence before Mrs Hudson and Lestrade walked out from the kitchen.

"Hi Molly, and it's, uh… Tim?" Lestrade said as he walked over to the newcomers.

Sherlock held out his hand. "William. You're Greg, right?"

"Yes. Great to see you again," Lestrade said as he shook his hand.

* * *

Everyone was hidden behind furniture when the door knob started to jiggle. Molly peeped over the couch arm at the door, waiting for John to walk in. She heard a large sigh from the other side and the door opened bit by bit. He stood in the doorway, staring at his feet. Molly watched as John looked up and plastered on a smile.

"Mary? You home?" he called out before turning on the light.

The group jumped up from where they hid and yelled, "Surprise!" making John jump. He looked around at the group and his face lit up.

"Wow! Hi!" He gaped at everyone, absolutely flustered.

Mary walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Happy Birthday," she said before kissing him.

As everyone grabbed their presents, Mrs Hudson went to the kitchen and reappeared moments later with platters of food. Everyone wished John a happy Birthday and Lestrade put some music on.

Molly and Sherlock stood to the side as everyone talked to John. She looked at her fiancé and smiled.

"You glad I changed your plans?"

Looking over at Molly, Sherlock frowned. "You don't know what my other plans were."

"I know this, though," Molly said, glancing over at John. "You get to be at John's birthday party. You can see him, talk to him, you know, be around him."

She reached down and took his hand, watching as he looked over at John.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes." He squeezed her hand and gave her a small smile. "Thank you. You're wonderful."

Molly shrugged and kissed his cheek. "I've got your back, Jack."


	21. Baking

**A/N:** _this will be short so that I can get on to the next one and catch the fuck up._

* * *

Molly washed her hands and turned around to the mixing bowl and poured in the flour. As she cut up some butter, a figure padded from the bedroom and into the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes before walking behind Molly and wrapping his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled.

"Good morning," he said, his voice deeper than usual.

She smiled when he kissed her cheek. "Morning. I'm making a cake," she told him.

He shushed her and looked around. "Keep your voice down about c-a-k-e. Mycroft will hear and burst in and steal it."

"Don't be mean to your brother," Molly scolded before adding some butter. "No-one can resist the power of cake."

Sherlock nodded. "It's calling to me. I'll get changed and help you out."

* * *

Sherlock mixed the bowl while Molly poured the milk in.

"Put some chocolate in," Sherlock said as he dipped his finger into the mix.

Rolling her eyes, Molly swatted at his hand. "Don't eat that. And no chocolate. I'm going to put some butter on top and sprinkle a concussion of cinnamon and sugar over it."

"That sounds delicious."

"That's because it is," Molly replied before packing away some of the ingredients.

* * *

They sat on the couch eating the cake while watching a movie.

"This is so much better than it looks or sounds," Sherlock said as he took another mouthful.

Molly smirked and took another bite. "I know."


	22. Babysitting

Ever since she was a child, Molly had wanted kids of her own. She wanted to get married, have a child or two, and live a beautiful, happy life. As a teenager, she got gigs as a babysitter, taking whatever she could get and whatever family would be happy to pay her. She adored children. In fact, Molly made sure that she took the courses to look after children. If she hadn't gotten accepted to medical school, she was planning on being a primary school teacher. Originally, she was going to be a paediatrician and get some experience before moving to a smaller town and looking after the kids there. She was too drawn to pathology.

By the time she had turned 33, most of her friends were married with children. Near two years later, and she was still single and still childless. Molly still wanted children so badly. She wanted to be in a stable relationship with someone who would help support the child and look after them. Desperate to have something to do with children and being around them (preferably when they were not in the morgue), she offered her days off to baby sit her friends kids.

It was a Friday night and Sherlock hadn't been home for a few weeks. She hadn't heard a thing from him and she was getting a little lonely and bored. Molly was more than happy to babysit Sarah and Richard's kids while they went out to a dinner party.

She was in the kitchen making the kids dinner. Percy and Julia were playing in the lounge room, jumping on the furniture. Molly put the food into the oven when the noise ceased in the other room. She froze and made her way to the lounge room, wondering what on earth was going on.

"Who are you?" Julia asked.

"I'm Molly's fiancée. Who are you?" a deep voice asked.

Molly walked into the room to find Sherlock glaring down at the six year olds.

"I- William, I wan't expecting you home." She looked down at the kids and smiled. "This is Julia and Percy. They're the kids of one of my friends."

The detective looked the kids up and down before quirking an eyebrow. "Nice to meet you. I'm William."

The kids looked up at Aunty Molly who told them to keep playing. She took Sherlock into the kitchen and made him some food.

"What are you doing here? I hadn't heard from you and though you were on a case," she said as she sifted through the fridge.  
He put his hand on her lower back and she straightened up to look at him.

"I'm here because I finished and Mycroft had finished lecturing me and told me to go home. He stole my phone and wouldn't let me use it," he smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "What's wrong?"

Molly shrugged. "I'm happy to see you, but you should have told me you were coming home tonight. I would've cancelled babysitting."

"It's alright. I can deal with children. After all, I am a fabulous pirate," he said and kissed her nose.

"Sounds good," she said before kissing him. "Don't have too much fun."

He smiled and kissed her one last time before saying, "No promises," and walking into the lounge room.

* * *

When dinner was ready, she went out to find the kids playing with Sherlock, everyone wearing newspaper pirate hats. They jumped onto the furniture and Julia brandished a paper sword. Molly wasn't sure then Sherlock had made these for them. Perhaps he knew more than he let on and had them ready to go. Percy was getting a piggyback from Sherlock/Captain Yarrrr.

She smiled and watched them run around, their whole faces lit up as they played. Molly cleared her throat and nodded towards the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready," she said.

Percy and Julia replied with groans before taking off their paper hats and walking into the kitchen. The detective followed them in and helped Molly with the food. Together, they sat at the table and ate.

* * *

Sarah picked up the kids at about ten thirty. After giving the kids a hug goodbye and raving to Sarah about how well behaved the kids were, Molly and Sherlock sat down and enjoyed a few drinks.

"You were great with the kids," Molly said with a smile.

He shrugged. "There have been a few times in which I've needed to entertain kids for cases."

Molly pecked Sherlock's lips and slipped her hand into his. "Where do you stand on having a child of your own?" she asked. Molly looked over at Sherlock and watched him open his mouth. "Not- not now. Later. In a few years time, maybe."

"Of course. Once we've both retired, I'd like to move out to the country. Maybe be a beekeeper. I don't know. Something fun like that. I can imagine you, me, and between one to four children." He shrugged again and smiled down at his fiancée. "It's been a bit of a dream of mine since… always."

"I'd like that," Molly said, leaning against his arm.


	23. Sick

**A/N:**

_I know, I know, it's very short but I couldn't be bothered to write any more of this prompt. Besides, I haven't finished the next one and I really wanna just finish this all off._

_Next is 'Gender Swap'._

* * *

It was salmonella, a non-contagious illness resulting in eating undercooked food such as raw meat. The signs usually came about 8 hours after ingesting the food. Molly knew what it was. She stayed at a friends house over night and they contaminated the breakfast. That's why she found herself leaving work early after vomiting. She told her boss she was sick and she raced home. She sat on the couch, gagging into a bucket as she watched Glee. She had tried to eat some food, but it came back a few minutes later.

There was a knock on the front door and she took a few moments to stand up and stumble her way over. She opened the door revealing her fiancee standing there.

"Afternoon, Molly. I didn't expect you home so early," he said.

Molly frowned and took his hand. "I'm sick, Sherlock."

He walked into her flat and closed the door behind him. "Sit down, I'll make you something to eat."

Sherlock went to the kitchen and started to make some soup as she finished the episode of Glee.

* * *

After eating some food and making sure Molly wasn't dehydrated, Sherlock made her go to bed and put a face washer on her forehead. He cleaned her house, made sure everything was in order, and stayed with her, making sure there was nothing else she needed. Sherlock lay down beside her and held her arm as she fell asleep.


	24. Gender Swap

**A/N: **

_Once again, my apologies for how late this is and also how short it is. I'm not a huge fan of gender swap and I had a bit of difficulty writing this. Oh well._

_I think I'll post the next one in a few minutes as well because I have written most of the rest. I think part 29 is a bit not done and I have to still think about part 30._

_I've been really busy with work lately, as well as sleeping, so it's been a bit hard writing one every day and getting a chance to post as well. _

_x_

* * *

A figure in a billowy coat stalked into the morgue and glared around the room.

"I need help!" she called, pacing up and down. "Someone, please!"

The pathologist rushed into the morgue and glanced around the room.

"What's wrong?"

The woman looked at him and frowned. "You're the new pathologist, huh?"

Nodding, the pathologist said, "Yes. I'm Morris. What's wrong?"

"I'm Sherene. My brother called and made sure you knew I would be coming in soon."

Morris frowned. "No-one called about a 'Sherene'."

With a sigh, Sherene shook her head. "He must've said Wilhelmina then. Sherene is my middle name."

"Alright. Well, hi Wilhelmina," Morris said as he clutched his clipboard to his chest. "How can I help you?"

"No. Sherene. It's my preferred name. Much better than Wilhelmina at any rate." There rolled her eyes.

"O-okay. What can I do for you?"

"I need a heart belonging to a male between 18-22."

Morris nodded and walked away from the woman standing in front of him. He found what she desired and took it out for her. Sherene took the heart and walked to the lab without a word.

Bewildered, Morris watched Sherene walk away and went to work on some paperwork.


	25. Dreaming

**A/N:**

_This is the big one- the one the entire series has been leading up to. This is the point of no return. Once you've finished the first paragraph, there's no going back.  
_

_Good luck, and don't hate me._

_x_

* * *

Molly rubbed her eyes and sat up.

'Oh God,' she thought. 'What a dream! Morris and Wilhelmina…' Molly couldn't help but smile, though. 'That's how I met Sherlock.'

She leaned down and kissed her fiancé on his cheek. "Morning, sweetie."

"Mmm. Morning, Molly. How'd you sleep?" he asked before yawning and sitting up.

She stretched and stood up. "It was alright," she said before walking to the wardrobe and taking out some clothes.

"Just alright?" he asked and walked over to her. Molly shrugged before he wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "I love you."

"Love you too, Tom." She kissed him before walking to the bathroom to get ready for work.

* * *

As she pulled on her coat, Molly thought about her relationship with Tom. The last year and a half had been wonderful. She couldn't imagine getting through it without him. She grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes before walking to the bathroom where Tom was brushing his teeth.

"I'll see you when I get home," she said and kissed his cheek.

He wrapped an arm on her waist and finished brushing his teeth before kissing her. "I love you."

Molly smiled at him and kissed her again. "Bye, love."

* * *

Molly arrived at work and took off her engagement ring. She slipped it in her pocket and started to get to work.  
Work was still a little lonely. Sherlock hadn't been back for almost two years now. Of course she missed him. She hadn't heard nor seen Sherlock since she saved his life.

She imagined that she saw him, though. She daydreamed of Sherlock coming to see her. She dreamed of a relationship with Sherlock that resembled hers with Tom. She dreamed of Sherlock taking her to countries around the world. She imagined Sherlock loving her and caring for her. It was the supreme relationship based on an existing one but with more love on her end. Molly wanted her relationship with Tom but it was weak- weaker than the fabricated one with Sherlock.

Molly did take Tom to the Halloween party and John's surprise party. He had met her friends a few times. Tom had also met Julia and Percy, as well. It was that night, actually. He had come over, seen the kids, talked to Molly about how she should have told him that she'd have company, and he left. Molly had made the children hats and swords with the newspaper and had let them jump on her furniture.

It was natural that she would invent a fantasy in which Sherlock would adore children and be more than willing to entertain them. That's what she wanted and that's what she created. Tom's ring was flashy and bigger than she wanted. Sherlock had gone for a simple, meeker version which was much more Molly's style and suited her more.

Tom had told Molly that there was nothing he could do to look after her. He had work to do and he fell asleep while packing things up. He was in the process of moving his belongings in to Molly's flat at the time. Tom hated germs and sickness. He visited Molly a few times. In fact, Tom's mum had made her some soup, so he bought that over and they ate it for lunch. She got over it within a few days and then Tom was more than wiling to stay with her. Molly imagined Sherlock staying with her. He had very little commitments beside looking after her.

She was well aware that Sherlock's return would be awkward for her. Molly knew that he'd see what she did. Sherlock would grimace and tell her that he didn't want a relationship with her and she had to drop the ideas she had. They were dreams, fantasies, and that was all.

* * *

She walked back from work again and passed the place Sherlock had died. Molly looked at her phone and frowned. Of course he wasn't going to text her. He hadn't in over two years and he wasn't going to now. There was a text from Tom, though. He wanted to know what takeaway she wanted for dinner.

Molly couldn't help but compare Tom and her current life style to that of her dreamed up Sherlock and the events she imagined.

Places like Paris, Berlin, Disneyland, a train through Russia, and a ball in Finland were far away and unreachable. Nothing could compare to the make-believe dates, the spaghetti ice-cream, and the pillow forts.  
She paused as she reached her front door. Like every day, she had to force these feelings and thoughts away as she came face to face with Tom.

Tom beamed at her as she stepped into her flat and he engulfed her in a hug and a big kiss. She smiled back at him, feeling a little disappointed in herself. He loved her more than she did him, and she was fawning after her created character. Molly was going to break his heart and Sherlock would break hers.

"I love you," he said, making her stomach sink.

Nonetheless, she smiled. "And I you."


	26. Last Kiss

**A/N: **_Hey, darling reader,_

_Very short, I know, but I didn't want to linger on this much. Also, we're all still recovering from last chapter, so..._

_Given, good luck facing the rest :/_

* * *

There was two things that Molly knew for certain. The first was that Sherlock was going to be coming back soon. As for the second, she knew that she wouldn't be able to daydream about Sherlock for much longer. When he turned up, it was going to be very awkward if she can't remember/tell the difference between reality and fantasy.

One of the few times Molly saw "Sherlock" again was on a quiet night. Tom's mum was in hospital and he as staying by her side. Left alone at her flat, Molly was feeling a little lonely and bored.

Sherlock walked through the front door and sat on the couch beside his fiancée. He wrapped an arm around her and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I've missed you."

Giving him a small smile, Molly said, "I missed you too."

He couldn't help but frown at her. "What's wrong?" he asked before moving to face her more.

"No, I- it's nothing. I've been thinking about what will happen when you come back for good."

"We'll get married, move you into Baker Street, and, I don't know, do what we want. You and I, Molly, until the end." Sherlock smiled down a her and kissed the top of her head.

Molly nodded and half-smiled. "I love you."

"And I you. So don't worry. Life after my resurrection won't be too different. No matter what happens, we'll still be together."

"Really?" Molly asked, peering up through her lashes at him.

Sherlock nodded and smiled. "I promise you."

Reaching up, Molly placed her palm on his cheek. She looked into his eyes and her smile disappeared. "Don't leave me. I love you."

"Never," he whispered and pressed his lips against hers. Sherlock put his forehead on hers and rested his hand on her hip. "I love you too, ma chérie."

Molly curled up beside Sherlock and dozed off to sleep. When she woke up in the morning, she found herself alone on the couch, Toby sleeping on her feet.


	27. Arguing

With a sigh, Molly opened her locker and grabbed her bag. Tom wanted to do some planning for the wedding when she got home. While they hadn't set a date or organised anything yet, he was still determined to do something. She'd have to fake interest in flowers and colours and designs and venues.

From the corner of her eye, she caught some movement in the mirror on the locker door. She looked up to see Sherlock standing behind her. Gasping, she spun around and beamed at him.

"Sherlock," she breathed out, looking him up and down. "You're back."

"Well done, Molly. As ever, you've pointed out the obvious. And before you say something else, a we both know you will, yes, I'm here for good," he said, a very small smile on his face.

Molly bit her lip and looked down. "How has John taken it?"

He tensed and clenched his jaw. "I haven't told him yet. Figured I should start with people who know I didn't die two years ago and work my way there."

"Fair enough. Who else have you told?" she asked as she turned around to get her stuff.

"You and Mycroft. Though, Mycroft is the one who got me home. I sent a text to one of the Homeless Network and told them to spread the word. The homeless community should know by now. John'll be the problem." Sherlock looked at the ground and frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together as he thought about it.

Molly smiled. "Well, I'm happy to help if you want some assistance."

The detective nodded. "May be required. We'll see."

"Where are you staying? I have a spare room if you need it," she bubbled.

"Molly, please," Sherlock said with a sigh. "I'm just here to show you I'm alive and then I'm going back into hiding."

"But-"

Sherlock clenched his jaw and glared at Molly. "No. Whatever childish fantasies you had going on when I was away is irrelevant and idiotic. I consider you my colleague and I also consider that suggestion rather inappropriate, given the circumstances you find yourself in. Besides, I don't think your fiancé will be very pleased to have a male guest in your flat."

"It doesn't matter what Tom-"

"Of course it does, Molly. Do you really have that little respect for the man you're going to marry?"

Molly glared at him and clenched her fists. "O-of course I respect him!"

"But you don't respect his thoughts and feelings." He took a step back and looked her up and down. "Oh, Molly. No." Sherlock sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"W-what?" she stuttered out, looking down at herself.

He sighed and shook his head. "You don't love him."

"Of course I do!" she all but yelled. "How dare you?"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I don't love you. I don't want you. You can't live in a deluded state thinking that we'll be together."

"I…" She paused and looked at her feet. "I didn't think we'd…" She trailed off and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Molly closed her locker and walked out, making her way home. She knew he'd know. She knew he'd take one good look at her and know exactly what she'd been thinking for the last two years.

She arrived home to see Tom waiting for her, a close imitation of Sherlock. Molly gave him a weak smile and sat down to start organising.


	28. In Battle

Sitting in Mycroft's office, Molly frowned and tapped a pen on her pad of paper.

"See him at work?" she suggested.

Mycroft scoffed. "He's already paranoid that Sherlock is going to turn up in a disguise."

"I still think I should just jump out of a cake. Mrs Hudson would cook it," Sherlock said and leaned back in his chair.

"Don't be absurd, brother," Mycroft said and rolled his eyes. "just be simple and don't scare the man. He's already got enough to worry about."

Molly sat up straighter and pointed her pen at Mycroft. "Well, what about John and Mary being together when Sherlock turns up? That way even if he freaks out, he's got someone who will and can look after himself."

Looking over at his brother, Mycroft nodded. "That's not a bad idea. Something private and with Mary will make him feel better."

Sherlock scoffed. "I think my presence will be enough."

"He watched you die. He heard nothing from you for two years. He was at your funeral. You're one of the last people he'll really wanna see," Molly said, shaking her head.

With a frown, Mycroft nodded. "Don't traumatise John."

Molly looked over at Mycroft and sighed. "Sherlock will probably sneak next to John for a basketball game and organise the kiss cam to come on to them as a 'I'm not dead' surprise."

"I wouldn't even be surprised," Mycroft said, shaking his head at his brother.

Flailing his arms, Sherlock stood up. "I don't need to sit through this. I'm a grown man and I can decide how I'm going to interact with my friend. I'll be discreet and it will be well thought out."

He stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him, making Molly jump.

Mycroft sighed. "Nothing good will come from this," he muttered.

Nodding, Molly looked down at her pad of paper. "John will probably punch him a few times, and they won't talk for ages."

"Of course. I've kept an eye on John since he first met Sherlock. I have no doubt that he will act violent in seeing Sherlock again. Besides, it's not like Sherlock will do the reveal with grace or tact. It will be an uncomfortable, messy ordeal." Mycroft shook his head and glanced at the door before looking at his watch.

Molly felt her cheeks heat up. "Right. I'll be- I should get going. Things to do."

With a nod, Mycroft took out a large file from a filing cabinet. "Enjoy work."

"Thanks, you too. I'll see you when I see you, I suppose," Molly said and stood up before getting up and leaving the office. She walked past Anthea who gave her a small smile before looking back at her BlackBerry.


	29. Making Up

**A/N:**

_Hi,_

_The original plan for the story is that "tomorrow" is going to be 'getting married' but I dunno if I wanna write that anymore, and I have to think a lot about how I'll be writing this one out. It's the only one I didn't work on over the last twenty days or so._

_I'm going to need to think about this more and plan how I'm going to write this because I currently have two different ideas on it, but I might scrap it and write something else completely. Until I have a pretty solid idea of what I'm going to write, I'll leave it as 'TBA'. You'll probably just find out when you read the chapter._

_On a side note, i wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. I really appreciate it and love getting the e-mails letting me know - they leave me feeling warm and fuzzy uwu_

_I haven't responded to the comments because I'm not very good at doing that, but know that I love you and think you're totally awesome :)_

_Seeing as I'm leaving FFN and this is my last story, I wanted to remind you that I'm now on AO3 and will be posting similar things to what I posted last year. My username is accio-me-some-feels. If you think I'm totally awesome or wanna suggest a oneshot for my work at AO3, or wanna tell me to keep writing on FFN, lemme know via my tumblr (I don't post writing there) which also happens to be accio-feels because I'm bad at choosing passwords and usernames :)_

_Thank you so much for reading my work. Regardless of however much of my writing you read, I really appreciate you reading and supporting me over the last year. FFN is a great site, and a great move from where I was before._

_I don't know if I'll leave an authors note in the next chapter (it'll probably just be 'finally'), so I wanted to let you know that I love you and I appreciate you so much._

_I'll see you in the last chapter._

_Stay classy. x_

* * *

Molly hadn't seen Sherlock since he went to talk to John. She got a text from John a week later saying, 'you knew?' She gave an apologetic 'yes' reply with many 'i'm so sorry john' and 'i wanted to tell you but i couldn't'.

He didn't reply, nor did he tell her how the meeting went. Neither Sherlock nor Mycroft had tried to contact her. In fact, few of the people she knew tried to make contact since Sherlock started to return. Greg was making infrequent, quick stops at the morgue, not even attempting to talk to her as he used to.

There was no way she regretted it, though. She would do it all again in a heart beat, even if she was never friends with that circle of people again. Sure, she'll miss them, but she saved Sherlock and that will probably be the greatest (and most secretive) achievement that she'd ever achieve. Besides, Sherlock was where her loyalty lay.

The second last time Molly had ever seen "Sherlock" was when she arrived home from work. Greg had come in and was given a greeting, the notes from the autopsy, the body to look at, and a 'goodbye' before he left, saying as little to her as possible. She came home feeling pretty shit and exhausted.

Standing before her was "Sherlock" who gave her a small smile.

"Hi," he said as she looked at him.

Molly frowned. "Sherlock? I thought-"

"I'm here to apologise about what I said before. I shouldn't have been so blunt and vicious. I know that you love Tom and I know that you respect and care for him." He paused and his eyebrows furrowed together as he looked over her shoulder. "Sure, you like me more, but you care and respect your fiancé."

He looked down at her and smiled.

"I-"

"Molly, I'm sorry about what I said. I shouldn't have. I know that Tom is your life and he's important to you, especially at this stage in the game. I'll try my best to not be so rude to you again in the future."

There was silence as they stared each other down.

"I… I forgive you. Thank you for apologising."

Sherlock smiled before putting his hand on her waist and leaning in for a kiss. Molly took a step back, shaking his hand off her.

"No. I… I don't think it's a good idea."

He frowned at her and reached a hand out to her. "What?"

"You're- He's back and I can't keep up this fantasy delusion where he loves me. I can't do this. It's wrong. Believe me." She shook her head and looked at the ground, tears running down her cheeks.

Sherlock dropped his hand and took a step back as well. "But… I love you."

Shaking her head, Molly wiped her cheeks. "No, I love you. You can't imagine the heartbreak of seeing him and knowing that he'll never love me." She looked up at him and sighed. "I can't keep doing this to myself. I can't face him pretending and hoping that he loves me."

"Molly, please, I'm here for you. You don't-"

"Stop it. Just stop it," she said and turned around. "I don't want a deluded love life based on what Tom did and didn't do. I don't want to face Sherlock whenever he comes to the morgue and have him know that I have ridiculous, deluded fantasies about him caring for me. I can't… We…" Molly shook her head and gave a small laugh. "I don't want to see you again and I don't want to pretend anymore."

She turned around to look at him, only to find a blank space. Molly wiped away the tears and chocked back a sob.

Tom walked in the flat and his smile turned to a frown. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight. "What's wrong, love?"

"Had a bit of a daymare. It doesn't matter, though. I'm alright."

He rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. "Molly, please. I'm here for you. You don't have to pretend with me. I know you and I know you're not alright."


	30. Getting Married

**A/N:**_ Hey,_

_I decided. I wrote. I had many feels at the end. Recommend listening to the music if you can. I know my mum can't because she's at work reading my fan fiction instead of doing work ;)_

_Check out 'Sleeping At Last'. I use them for the second song. Always gives me feels. So beautiful. Kind of like Dean Ray singing 'Dancing Queen'. Beautiful._

Finally: you can read.

Gracias, mis amores.

_x_

* * *

Black screen. Slowly fades up on a small church. _Chapel of Love_ by The Dixie Cups starts to play. Molly walks out, a grin on her face. Camera pans to look up at her husband revealing Tom. The camera pans back to the couple looking at each other. It goes back to Molly smiling. She blinks and the camera zooms out, revealing Sherlock and Molly hand in hand. Molly squeezes his hand and smiles as she looks at the photographer.

The scene changes to the reception. Everyone is filing in to the room. Molly and Tom sit at a long table at the front of the room, talking to each other in low voices. Sitting beside Molly is Mena and Mary. Sitting beside Tom is his best man. Friends and family of the couple file in and sit at their places. The room is white and simple with pink carnations on each table and as the main theme around the room.

The camera focuses on the crowd from up at the table and there is the shuffle of someone standing up from beside Tom. There is the sound of the clink of glass and everyone stars to quiet down. The camera pans around again to show John Watson standing with a smile, looking over at all the guests. The music goes down enough that the song and lyrics are still audible but not distracting from the scene.

**John:** Good afternoon, everyone. It's wonderful to be here today. I don't know about the rest of you, but I didn't really expect this day to ever come. Sherlock just doesn't seem like the type of person to want to live a domestic, tied down life. But I think that when it comes to Molly, he loves her so much that he'd put anything aside for her. This is a real show of his love. I know there have been a few times when he's had to cancel a case because it clashed with a date with Molly. In all the time I've known Sherlock, he's never even looked at food during a case, let alone cancelling and going to dinner. (He smiles and looks down at Sherlock) It's absolutely wonderful seeing my best friend and his wife together. (He looks back at all the people before him and shrugs) Sherlock has been an absolute improvement when he's with Molly compared to before. And I don't see him walking around in a sheet anymore, which is always a plus.

(A few guests look at each other with confusion. Mycroft sits near the back and pinches the bridge of his nose while groaning.)

The camera looks back at Molly as she blushes and looks down at her lap. A voice starts talking again and it's John anymore.

**Best man of Tom:** I remember their first date. Tom and I were flat shares and he literally pounced into the room, scooped me up in his arms and danced me about. He was singing about how he met this girl and she was absolutely wonderful.

(Molly squeezes Tom's hand and he rolls his eyes.)

**Tom:** (in a whisper) I told him not to say that.

**Best man of Tom:** When we finally met the wonderful Molly Hooper, the woman who had captivated Tom, we couldn't believe that she was so much like Tom. They're both wonderful and sweet.

Camera looks back over the crowd.

**John:** I mean, he's a total prat, and she's one of the most loveliest women you'll ever meet and she's going out with him. Of course, we were shocked at first, even more so to find that they'd been engaged for several months as well. At first, I had assumed that there was another reason they were engaged, but Sherlock's eyes always light up whenever someone mentions Molly.

Camera shows Mena putting her hand on Molly's lower arm. The women smile at each other before looking at the best man.

**Best man of Tom:** I don't think he was in a particularly good place when he first met Molly, but we saw a drastic change in him. He was becoming the Labrador that we had grown to love. He was bouncing again and he wanted to go out more often. Molly was a blessing to Tom and to all his friends. When he told us they were engaged, I was thrilled. They make such a lovely couple.

**John:** It was a match made in Heaven. It wasn't something I could have predicted happening. I never imagined Sherlock as the domestic type.

**Best man of Tom:** Molly has made an immeasurable change on Tom and everyone around him.

**John:** We're all so lucky that they came together.

The room is silent. The camera shows the best man smiling down and shifts to show Molly and Tom smiling back. The camera shifts again to John who smiles and looks back at the guests. He raises his glass and lets out a small sigh.

**John:** To Molly and Sherlock.

Zoom in on the glass and the bubbles.

**Best man of Tom:** To Molly and Tom.

**Both:** May they forever find happiness within each other and be in love for years and years to come.

Everyone takes a drink as the camera focuses on Molly glancing over at her husband.

Tom turns and looks at Molly, a smile on his face.

**Tom but with Sherlock's voice:** I love you, Molly.

**Molly:** I love you too.

As she lifts the glass to clink with her husband, a blaring alarm goes off, startling Molly, causing her to drop the glass. She blinks and looks around the room to find she's in a white room all by herself. She closes her eyes and opens them, finding herself in bed, also alone.

She taps the alarm, turning on snooze, before yawning and looking at the kitten calendar on the wall.

**Molly:** (mumbled) There's months. I can cancel.

Molly rubs her eyes and the screen fades to black. _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ by Sleeping at Last starts to play and the credits start to roll.

Dedicated to you for reading and supporting me, even if you're a silent/ghost reader :*


End file.
